Barclays PLC Boosts Stake in Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA)

Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA) by 14.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,041 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,856 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned approximately 0.11% of Escalade worth $214,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Escalade by 98.1% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 37,474 shares of the company’s stock worth $535,000 after purchasing an additional 18,560 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Escalade during the fourth quarter worth about $217,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in Escalade by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 127,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,820,000 after purchasing an additional 7,659 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Escalade by 8.4% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 28,786 shares of the company’s stock worth $411,000 after purchasing an additional 2,221 shares during the period. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its stake in Escalade by 22.9% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 6,870 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 1,278 shares during the period. 65.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Escalade from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th.

Escalade Price Performance

Shares of ESCA stock opened at $15.43 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 3.45 and a quick ratio of 1.41. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $15.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.95. Escalade, Incorporated has a 12 month low of $12.53 and a 12 month high of $16.99. The company has a market capitalization of $212.73 million, a PE ratio of 16.42 and a beta of 0.88.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The company reported $0.19 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.06. Escalade had a net margin of 5.20% and a return on equity of 7.17%. The company had revenue of $55.48 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $54.44 million. Analysts predict that Escalade, Incorporated will post 0.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Escalade Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 7th 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 3.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 7th. Escalade’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.22%.

Escalade Profile

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.