Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) Downgraded by StockNews.com

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

Escalade Trading Up 0.4 %

ESCA opened at $13.94 on Wednesday. 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 has a 52 week low of $12.34 and a 52 week high of $22.01. The business’s 50 day moving average is $13.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $13.59. The firm has a market cap of $193.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.32 and a beta of 1.22.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) last released its quarterly 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Escalade will post 0.85 EPS for the current year.

Escalade Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 14th. Investors of record on Monday, October 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 7th. Escalade’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.93%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Escalade

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESCA. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Escalade in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $15,458,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in Escalade by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 24,944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $343,000 after buying an additional 1,330 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Escalade by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 498,945 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,860,000 after buying an additional 3,569 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in Escalade by 40.0% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,688 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 1,340 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Escalade in the 1st quarter worth $199,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.22% of the company’s stock.

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.