Insider Selling: Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) Director Sells $71,370.00 in Stock

Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA) Director Richard Fenton Baalmann, Jr. sold 5,490 shares of the company’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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,305,122. This represents a 5.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Escalade Price Performance

NASDAQ:ESCA opened at $13.10 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $180.78 million, a PE ratio of 14.40 and a beta of 0.71. Escalade, Incorporated has a 1-year low of $11.41 and a 1-year high of $16.99. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $12.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $12.88. The company has a current ratio of 3.30, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.09. Escalade had a net margin of 5.26% and a return on equity of 7.49%. The firm had revenue of $67.79 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $58.83 million. On average, research analysts expect that Escalade, Incorporated will post 0.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Escalade Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Escalade

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Escalade in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey bought a new stake in Escalade in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in Escalade by 439.0% in the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Certior Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Escalade during the 3rd quarter worth $141,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Escalade by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 13,853 shares of the company’s stock worth $174,000 after buying an additional 1,600 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Escalade in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research raised Escalade from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Escalade has an average rating of “Hold”.

Escalade Company Profile

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.