Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) Share Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?
by Kim Johansen · The Markets DailyEscalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA – Get Free Report)’s stock price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $13.24 and traded as high as $18.40. Escalade shares last traded at $17.17, with a volume of 78,319 shares changing hands.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ESCA. Zacks Research raised Escalade from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Escalade in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Escalade from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, February 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Escalade has an average rating of “Buy”.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on ESCA
Escalade Price Performance
The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 4.28 and a quick ratio of 2.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $237.15 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.48 and a beta of 0.70. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $14.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $13.31.
Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 27th. The company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.07. Escalade had a net margin of 5.70% and a return on equity of 8.03%. The business had revenue of $62.56 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $57.55 million. On average, analysts forecast that Escalade, Incorporated will post 0.93 earnings per share for the current year.
Escalade Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.1525 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 6th. This represents a $0.61 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. This is a boost from Escalade’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Escalade’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.61%.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Escalade
A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. 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 valued at $160,000 after acquiring an additional 779 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Escalade by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 221,996 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,995,000 after purchasing an additional 878 shares during the period. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Escalade by 2.5% during the third quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 41,808 shares of the company’s stock worth $526,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Certior Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Escalade by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Certior Financial Group LLC now owns 12,351 shares of the company’s stock worth $167,000 after purchasing an additional 1,143 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Escalade by 13.1% during 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.22% of the company’s stock.
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.