Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) Stock Price Passes Below 200 Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Escalade, Incorporated's shares have fallen below their 200-day moving average, trading at $12.61 compared to a moving average of $14.74.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, resulting in a 4.76% yield, with a payout ratio of 61.22%.
• Wall Street Zen upgraded Escalade's rating from "buy" to "strong-buy" following a positive earnings report exceeding expectations.

Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA - Get Free Report)'s share price passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $14.74 and traded as low as $12.61. Escalade shares last traded at $12.61, with a volume of 9,883 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Escalade from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th.

Escalade Stock Up 0.2%

The stock has a market cap of $175.68 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.00 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 4.05 and a quick ratio of 1.67. The firm's 50-day moving average is $14.03 and its 200 day moving average is $14.72.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The company reported $0.19 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $55.48 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $54.44 million. Escalade had a net margin of 5.54% and a return on equity of 7.49%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Escalade, Incorporated will post 0.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Escalade Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 7th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 7th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.71%. Escalade's payout ratio is 61.22%.

Insider Transactions at Escalade

In other news, CFO Stephen Wawrin sold 2,177 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.16, for a total value of $33,003.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 43,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $651,880. This represents a 4.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 28.75% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Escalade in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $224,000. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group bought a new position in Escalade in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $4,731,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new position in Escalade in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $305,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Escalade by 27,223.8% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,738 shares of the company's stock valued at $88,000 after buying an additional 5,717 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in Escalade by 149.7% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 13,221 shares of the company's stock worth $189,000 after purchasing an additional 7,927 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.22% of the company's stock.

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.