Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) Stock Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA)’s stock price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $13.24 and traded as high as $18.40. Escalade shares last traded at $17.17, with a volume of 78,319 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on ESCA. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Escalade in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Escalade from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Escalade from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Escalade Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 4.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $14.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $13.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $235.23 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.34 and a beta of 0.70.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 27th. The company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.07. Escalade had a return on equity of 8.03% and a net margin of 5.70%.The firm had revenue of $62.56 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $57.55 million. Analysts anticipate that Escalade, Incorporated will post 0.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Escalade Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.1525 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 6th. This represents a $0.61 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. This is a positive change from Escalade’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Escalade’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.61%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Escalade

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Escalade by 2.1% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 221,456 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,096,000 after acquiring an additional 4,455 shares in the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey acquired a new stake in Escalade in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Escalade in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in shares of 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 last quarter. Finally, Certior Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Escalade during the 3rd quarter worth $141,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.22% of the company’s stock.

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.