Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) Upgraded to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Thursday morning.

Escalade Price Performance

Shares of Escalade stock opened at $13.83 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $191.71 million, a PE ratio of 15.20 and a beta of 1.22. The business has a 50 day moving average of $13.82 and a 200 day moving average of $13.56. Escalade has a 52 week low of $12.34 and a 52 week high of $22.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 4.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

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

Escalade Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 7th will be given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.34%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 7th. Escalade’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.93%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Escalade

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ESCA. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Escalade during the second quarter valued at $15,458,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its stake in Escalade by 5.6% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 24,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $343,000 after acquiring an additional 1,330 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Escalade by 40.6% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,037 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,000 after purchasing an additional 2,033 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of Escalade by 40.0% during 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. lifted its holdings in shares of Escalade by 0.7% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 498,945 shares of the company’s stock valued at $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.

Escalade Company Profile

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.