Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) Stock Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $14.90 and traded as high as $18.67. Escalade shares last traded at $18.37, with a volume of 76,059 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on ESCA. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Escalade in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research cut Escalade from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Escalade from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold”.

Escalade Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $253.69 million, a PE ratio of 16.40 and a beta of 0.59. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $17.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $14.90.

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

Escalade Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ESCA. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Escalade in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in Escalade by 439.0% in 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. Certior Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Escalade during the 3rd quarter valued at $141,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake 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 buying an additional 779 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its holdings in shares of Escalade by 42.3% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 12,455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $168,000 after buying an additional 3,701 shares during the period. 65.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Escalade Company Profile

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.