Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) CFO Stephen Wawrin Sells 2,000 Shares

Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA) CFO Stephen Wawrin sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.00, for a total value of $26,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 41,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $533,000. This represents a 4.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Escalade Trading Down 2.0%

NASDAQ ESCA traded down $0.27 on Monday, reaching $12.96. 12,983 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,103. The company has a current ratio of 4.15, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $12.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $13.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $178.90 million, a P/E ratio of 14.24 and a beta of 0.70. Escalade, Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $11.41 and a fifty-two week high of $16.99.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.09. Escalade had a return on equity of 6.86% and a net margin of 5.30%.The business had revenue of $67.79 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.83 million. Analysts forecast that Escalade, Incorporated will post 0.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Escalade Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Escalade from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Escalade in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Escalade from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 10th. 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”.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ESCA. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Escalade during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey acquired a new position in shares of Escalade in the second quarter worth $32,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in shares of Escalade by 439.0% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,622 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 2,950 shares during the period. Certior Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Escalade in the third quarter valued at $141,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Escalade by 13.1% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 13,853 shares of the company’s stock valued at $174,000 after acquiring 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, 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.