Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA) Short Interest Up 21.9% in December

Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 124,984 shares, an increase of 21.9% from the December 15th total of 102,568 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 21,042 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.9 days. Approximately 1.3% of the company’s shares are sold short. Approximately 1.3% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 21,042 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.9 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Escalade news, Director Richard Fenton Baalmann, Jr. sold 5,490 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.00, for a total transaction of $71,370.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 100,394 shares in the company, valued at $1,305,122. This represents a 5.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Stephen Wawrin sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.00, for a total value of $26,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 41,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $533,000. This represents a 4.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 12,000 shares of company stock valued at $156,100 in the last ninety days. 28.75% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Escalade in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey acquired a new position in shares of Escalade during the second quarter worth $32,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in Escalade by 439.0% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,622 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 2,950 shares during the last quarter. Certior Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Escalade in the third quarter valued at $141,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Escalade by 13.1% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 13,853 shares of the company’s stock valued at $174,000 after buying an additional 1,600 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.22% of the company’s stock.

Escalade Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ ESCA traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $14.06. The company had a trading volume of 15,115 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,300. The company has a market capitalization of $194.03 million, a PE ratio of 15.45 and a beta of 0.69. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $13.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.75. Escalade has a 1-year low of $11.41 and a 1-year high of $16.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 3.30 and a quick ratio of 1.41.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $67.79 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.83 million. Escalade had a return on equity of 7.49% and a net margin of 5.26%. On average, analysts predict that Escalade will post 0.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Escalade Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 12th. Investors of record on Monday, January 5th were issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 5th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. Escalade’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.93%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on ESCA. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Escalade in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Escalade from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Escalade from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy”.

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.