Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) Share Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA - Get Free Report) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $15.00 and traded as high as $15.06. Escalade shares last traded at $14.92, with a volume of 10,788 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Escalade Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $202.67 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.64 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 3.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $14.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $15.01.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The company reported $0.19 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $55.48 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $54.44 million. Escalade had a return on equity of 7.17% and a net margin of 5.20%. As a group, analysts forecast that Escalade, Incorporated will post 0.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Escalade Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 7th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.08%. Escalade's dividend payout ratio is currently 61.22%.

Insider Transactions at Escalade

In related news, CFO Stephen Wawrin sold 2,177 shares of Escalade stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.16, for a total transaction of $33,003.32. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 43,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $651,880. The trade was a 4.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 28.75% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in shares of Escalade by 250.4% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,288 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 1,635 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Escalade by 27,223.8% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,738 shares of the company's stock worth $88,000 after acquiring an additional 5,717 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its holdings in Escalade by 22.9% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 6,870 shares of the company's stock worth $98,000 after acquiring an additional 1,278 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in Escalade by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 12,430 shares of the company's stock worth $178,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares during the period. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in Escalade by 149.7% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 13,221 shares of the company's stock valued at $189,000 after acquiring an additional 7,927 shares in the last quarter. 65.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.