Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on ESCA. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Escalade in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Escalade from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Escalade currently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Escalade Trading Up 3.6%

Escalade stock traded up $0.52 during trading on Thursday, reaching $15.00. 53,713 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 14,588. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $14.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $13.09. The company has a market capitalization of $205.50 million, a P/E ratio of 15.15 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 4.28 and a quick ratio of 1.41. Escalade has a 52-week low of $11.41 and a 52-week high of $16.99.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 27th. The company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $62.56 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $57.55 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that Escalade will post 0.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Escalade news, Director Richard Fenton Baalmann, Jr. sold 5,490 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.00, for a total value of $71,370.00. Following the sale, the director owned 100,394 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,305,122. The trade was a 5.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 28.75% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Escalade

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ESCA. Minerva Advisors LLC increased its stake in Escalade by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Minerva Advisors LLC now owns 567,621 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,657,000 after purchasing an additional 17,429 shares during the period. Citadel Advisors LLC increased its stake in Escalade by 120.1% during the 3rd quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 27,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $351,000 after buying an additional 15,231 shares during the period. Certior Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Escalade during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $141,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Escalade by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 221,456 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,096,000 after buying an additional 4,455 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Escalade by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 140,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,894,000 after acquiring an additional 4,373 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.