Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) Director Richard Fenton Baalmann, Jr. Sells 5,490 Shares

Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA) Director Richard Fenton Baalmann, Jr. sold 5,490 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.00, for a total value of $71,370.00. Following the sale, the director owned 100,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,305,122. The trade was a 5.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Escalade Stock Down 0.3%

Escalade stock opened at $13.10 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 3.30. Escalade, Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $11.41 and a fifty-two week high of $16.99. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $12.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $12.92. The company has a market capitalization of $180.78 million, a P/E ratio of 14.40 and a beta of 0.71.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.09. Escalade had a net margin of 5.26% and a return on equity of 7.49%. The business had revenue of $67.79 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $58.83 million. Equities research analysts expect that Escalade, Incorporated will post 0.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Escalade Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 5th. Escalade’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.93%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Escalade

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Escalade in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey bought a new stake in shares of Escalade during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in shares of Escalade by 439.0% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,622 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 2,950 shares in the last quarter. Certior Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Escalade during the 3rd quarter valued at about $141,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Escalade by 13.1% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 13,853 shares of the company’s stock worth $174,000 after purchasing an additional 1,600 shares during the period. 65.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Escalade from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Escalade in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold”.

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.