Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) Stock Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $14.90 and traded as high as $18.67. Escalade shares last traded at $18.37, with a volume of 76,059 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ESCA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Escalade from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Escalade in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research cut Escalade from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Escalade presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Escalade Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $253.69 million, a PE ratio of 16.40 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $17.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $14.90.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.14. Escalade had a return on equity of 8.97% and a net margin of 6.43%.The company had revenue of $55.79 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $53.80 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Escalade, Incorporated will post 1.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Escalade Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.1525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 6th. This represents a $0.61 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Escalade’s payout ratio is presently 54.46%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ESCA. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Escalade during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in shares of Escalade by 439.0% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,622 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 2,950 shares in the last quarter. Certior Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Escalade during the third quarter valued at approximately $141,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Escalade by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 11,845 shares of the company’s stock valued at $160,000 after acquiring an additional 779 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 3,701 shares during the period. 65.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.