Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Sunday.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Escalade in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research cut shares of Escalade from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Escalade Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ESCA opened at $14.31 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $197.48 million, a P/E ratio of 15.73 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a current ratio of 3.30, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. Escalade has a 1 year low of $11.41 and a 1 year high of $16.99. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $13.61 and a 200-day moving average of $12.82.

Insider Transactions at Escalade

In other news, Director Richard Fenton Baalmann, Jr. sold 5,490 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.00, for a total value of $71,370.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 100,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,305,122. This trade represents a 5.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Stephen Wawrin sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.00, for a total transaction of $26,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 41,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $533,000. This trade represents a 4.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 12,000 shares of company stock valued at $156,100. Corporate insiders own 28.75% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Escalade

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ESCA. Minerva Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Escalade by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Minerva Advisors LLC now owns 550,192 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,916,000 after acquiring an additional 12,378 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Escalade by 2.1% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 221,456 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,096,000 after purchasing an additional 4,455 shares during the period. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Escalade by 2.5% in the third quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 41,808 shares of the company’s stock valued at $526,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Escalade by 120.1% in the third quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 27,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $351,000 after buying an additional 15,231 shares during the period. Finally, Arete Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Escalade by 8.0% during the third quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 22,605 shares of the company’s stock worth $284,000 after buying an additional 1,676 shares during the last quarter. 65.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.