Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) Lifted 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 sent to investors on Thursday.

Escalade Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of ESCA opened at $13.77 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 4.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $13.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $13.59. The stock has a market cap of $190.88 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.13 and a beta of 1.22. Escalade has a 12 month low of $12.34 and a 12 month high of $22.01.

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

Escalade Dividend Announcement

The company 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 7th. Escalade’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.93%.

Institutional Trading of Escalade

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ESCA. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Escalade during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $15,458,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in shares of Escalade by 5.6% in the first 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 in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,340 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Escalade by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 498,945 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,860,000 after buying an additional 3,569 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new stake in Escalade during the 1st quarter worth about $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.