Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) Share Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA) crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $18.26 and traded as high as $20.61. Escalade shares last traded at $20.16, with a volume of 31,108 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Escalade from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Zacks Research upgraded Escalade from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Strong Buy”.

Escalade Price Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average is $19.81 and its 200-day moving average is $18.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $281.05 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.22 and a beta of 0.58.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $0.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by $0.52. Escalade had a net margin of 9.46% and a return on equity of 13.11%. The company had revenue of $57.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $57.60 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Escalade, Incorporated will post 1.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Escalade Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 6th will be issued a $0.1525 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 6th. This represents a $0.61 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Escalade’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Escalade

In other Escalade news, CFO Stephen Wawrin sold 3,177 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.40, for a total transaction of $67,987.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 45,000 shares in the company, valued at $963,000. This represents a 6.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Edward E. Williams sold 2,373 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.99, for a total value of $49,809.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 129,452 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,717,197.48. This trade represents a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 41,227 shares of company stock valued at $872,743. Company insiders own 33.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Escalade in the second quarter worth $29,000. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in Escalade by 297.3% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 2,197 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,644 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in Escalade by 439.0% during the 2nd 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 during the period. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in Escalade in the 2nd quarter valued at $156,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in Escalade by 13.9% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 10,442 shares of the company’s stock valued at $179,000 after purchasing an additional 1,271 shares in the last quarter. 65.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.