Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA) Short Interest Down 8.3% in August

Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA) saw a significant drop in short interest in August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totalling 78,400 shares, a drop of 8.3% from the July 31st total of 85,500 shares. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 16,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.8 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Escalade from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 3rd.

Escalade Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of Escalade stock traded down $0.25 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $13.98. 4,500 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,352. The company has a quick ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 4.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Escalade has a twelve month low of $12.34 and a twelve month high of $22.01. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $13.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $13.71. The company has a market cap of $193.79 million, a PE ratio of 15.36 and a beta of 1.24.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Escalade had a return on equity of 7.16% and a net margin of 4.55%. The business had revenue of $62.53 million for the quarter. Equities research analysts anticipate that Escalade will post 0.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Escalade Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 7th. Escalade’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.93%.

Institutional Trading of Escalade

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Escalade by 40.6% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,037 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,000 after buying an additional 2,033 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in shares of Escalade by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 23,614 shares of the company’s stock worth $474,000 after acquiring an additional 1,369 shares during the last quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Escalade in the 1st quarter worth about $484,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in Escalade by 40.0% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,688 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 1,340 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Escalade by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 498,945 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,860,000 after purchasing an additional 3,569 shares during the period. 65.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.