Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Buy”

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

Escalade Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ESCA opened at $13.65 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 market capitalization of $189.22 million, a P/E ratio of 15.00 and a beta of 1.22. Escalade has a 52-week low of $12.34 and a 52-week high of $22.01. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $13.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.57.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $62.53 million for 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 fiscal year.

Escalade Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 7th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 7th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.40%. Escalade’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.93%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Escalade

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Escalade by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 126,474 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,744,000 after buying an additional 1,071 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position 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 worth $343,000 after acquiring an additional 1,330 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings 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 during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Escalade by 0.3% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 458,464 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,322,000 after purchasing an additional 1,365 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Escalade by 40.6% during 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 last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.22% of the company’s stock.

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.