Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) Cut to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Wednesday.

Escalade Trading Up 1.7 %

Escalade stock opened at $14.72 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $13.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 4.60. Escalade has a 52 week low of $12.34 and a 52 week high of $22.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $204.02 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.18 and a beta of 1.22.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $62.53 million during the quarter. Escalade had a return on equity of 7.16% and a net margin of 4.55%. Research analysts forecast that Escalade will post 0.85 EPS for the current year.

Escalade Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 7th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 7th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.08%. Escalade’s dividend payout ratio is 65.93%.

Institutional Trading of Escalade

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Escalade by 40.6% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,037 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,000 after buying an additional 2,033 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in shares of Escalade by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 23,614 shares of the company’s stock worth $474,000 after acquiring an additional 1,369 shares in the last quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC acquired a new stake in Escalade during the first quarter valued at $484,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in Escalade by 40.0% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,688 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 1,340 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Escalade by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 498,945 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,860,000 after purchasing an additional 3,569 shares during the last quarter. 65.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Escalade

Escalade, Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, distributes, imports, and sells sporting goods in North America, Europe, and internationally. The company provides various sporting goods brands in basketball goals, archery, indoor and outdoor game recreation, and fitness products.