Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Strong-Buy Rating

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) from a "buy" to a strong-buy, with Zacks also recently raising its rating and MarketBeat showing an average rating of "Buy".
• Escalade beat quarterly expectations—$0.27 EPS vs. $0.20 expected and $62.56M revenue vs. $57.55M—and trades around $18.29 with a roughly $250.5M market cap and a 52‑week range of $11.41–$18.61.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on ESCA. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Escalade from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Escalade in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Escalade currently has an average rating of "Buy".

Escalade Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ESCA opened at $18.29 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $250.50 million, a PE ratio of 18.47 and a beta of 0.56. The firm's fifty day moving average is $16.00 and its 200-day moving average is $13.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 4.28. Escalade has a 52 week low of $11.41 and a 52 week high of $18.61.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 27th. The company reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $62.56 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $57.55 million. Escalade had a net margin of 5.70% and a return on equity of 8.03%. Sell-side analysts predict that Escalade will post 0.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Minerva Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Escalade by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Minerva Advisors LLC now owns 567,621 shares of the company's stock worth $7,657,000 after acquiring an additional 17,429 shares during the period. Citadel Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Escalade by 120.1% during the 3rd quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 27,916 shares of the company's stock worth $351,000 after acquiring an additional 15,231 shares during the period. Certior Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Escalade during the 3rd quarter worth $141,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Escalade by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 221,456 shares of the company's stock worth $3,096,000 after acquiring an additional 4,455 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Escalade by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 140,410 shares of the company's stock worth $1,894,000 after acquiring an additional 4,373 shares during the period. 65.22% of the stock is currently 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.

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