Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) CFO Stephen Wawrin Sells 3,177 Shares of Stock

Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA) CFO Stephen Wawrin sold 3,177 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.40, for a total value of $67,987.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 45,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $963,000. The trade was a 6.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Escalade Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ ESCA opened at $22.24 on Friday. Escalade, Incorporated has a 52-week low of $11.41 and a 52-week high of $23.00. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $18.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.51. The stock has a market cap of $306.24 million, a PE ratio of 13.32 and a beta of 0.58.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by $0.52. Escalade had a net margin of 9.46% and a return on equity of 13.11%. The business had revenue of $57.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $57.60 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Escalade, Incorporated will post 1.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Escalade Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 6th will be issued a $0.1525 dividend. This represents a $0.61 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 6th. Escalade’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.53%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Escalade

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Escalade during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in Escalade by 439.0% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,622 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 2,950 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in Escalade by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 11,845 shares of the company’s stock worth $160,000 after acquiring an additional 779 shares during the period. Certior Financial Group LLC raised its position in Escalade by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Certior Financial Group LLC now owns 12,351 shares of the company’s stock worth $167,000 after acquiring an additional 1,143 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in Escalade by 42.3% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 12,455 shares of the company’s stock worth $168,000 after acquiring an additional 3,701 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on ESCA shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Escalade from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Zacks Research cut Escalade from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Escalade from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate 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.