Insider Selling: Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) CFO Sells 2,000 Shares of Stock

Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA) CFO Stephen Wawrin sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Escalade Stock Down 2.0%

NASDAQ:ESCA traded down $0.27 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $12.96. The stock had a trading volume of 12,983 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,103. Escalade, Incorporated has a twelve month low of $11.41 and a twelve month high of $16.99. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $12.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $13.09. The company has a current ratio of 4.15, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The company has a market capitalization of $178.90 million, a PE ratio of 14.24 and a beta of 0.70.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.09. Escalade had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 6.86%. The company had revenue of $67.79 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $58.83 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Escalade, Incorporated will post 0.93 EPS for the current year.

Escalade Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 5th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 5th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.6%. Escalade’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.93%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Escalade

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Escalade by 11.7% during the third quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC now owns 19,782 shares of the company’s stock worth $249,000 after purchasing an additional 2,075 shares during the period. Citadel Advisors LLC raised its position 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 last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its position in Escalade by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 41,808 shares of the company’s stock worth $526,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Minerva Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Escalade by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Minerva Advisors LLC now owns 550,192 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,916,000 after acquiring an additional 12,378 shares during the period. Finally, Arete Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Escalade by 8.0% in the third quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 22,605 shares of the company’s stock valued at $284,000 after acquiring an additional 1,676 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on ESCA shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Escalade from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Escalade in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Escalade from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

About Escalade

Escalade, Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, distributes, imports, and sells sporting goods in North America, Europe, and internationally. The company provides various sporting goods brands in basketball goals, archery, indoor and outdoor game recreation, and fitness products.