Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) Stock Price Crosses Above Fifty Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA) passed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $18.65 and traded as high as $19.20. Escalade shares last traded at $18.32, with a volume of 40,299 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on ESCA. Zacks Research lowered Escalade from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Escalade from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Escalade from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Escalade Trading Down 0.5%

The firm has a market cap of $252.86 million, a P/E ratio of 16.35 and a beta of 0.59. The business has a 50-day moving average of $18.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $16.64.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.14. Escalade had a net margin of 6.43% and a return on equity of 8.97%. The company had revenue of $55.79 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $53.80 million. As a group, equities analysts expect that Escalade, Incorporated will post 1.08 EPS for the current year.

Escalade Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.1525 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 6th. This represents a $0.61 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Escalade’s payout ratio is currently 54.46%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Escalade

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in Escalade by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 20,033 shares of the company’s stock valued at $344,000 after buying an additional 661 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Escalade by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 11,845 shares of the company’s stock worth $160,000 after acquiring an additional 779 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Escalade by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 221,996 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,995,000 after acquiring an additional 878 shares during the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Escalade by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 41,808 shares of the company’s stock worth $526,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Certior Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Escalade by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Certior Financial Group LLC now owns 12,351 shares of the company’s stock worth $167,000 after acquiring an additional 1,143 shares in the last quarter. 65.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Escalade

Escalade, Inc is a U.S.-based manufacturer and distributor of recreational equipment and specialty products for both consumer and commercial markets. Headquartered in Evansville, Indiana, the company operates through two principal business segments: Sporting Goods and Commercial Products. The Sporting Goods segment encompasses a diverse range of products such as hockey and lacrosse goal assemblies, fitness accessories, archery and hunting gear, and table tennis equipment. The Commercial Products segment focuses on seating solutions for restaurants, hospitality venues and other public spaces under the Top Seat brand, as well as storage, display products and industrial carts.

Within Sporting Goods, Escalade markets its products under proprietary brands including Bear® Archery, Gene St.