North Star Investment Management Corp. Has $6.28 Million Stock Position in Escalade, Incorporated $ESCA

Key Points

• North Star Investment Management Corp. reduced its position in Escalade, Incorporated by 9.7% during the 2nd quarter, holding approximately 3.26% of the company worth $6.28 million after selling 48,431 shares.
• Escalade recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, equating to an annualized yield of 4.7%, with the payment scheduled for October 13th.
• Institutional investors currently own 65.22% of Escalade's stock, highlighting significant interest from hedge funds and investment firms in the company.

North Star Investment Management Corp. decreased its position in Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA - Free Report) by 9.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 449,354 shares of the company's stock after selling 48,431 shares during the period. North Star Investment Management Corp. owned approximately 3.26% of Escalade worth $6,282,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ESCA. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of Escalade by 17.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 17,269 shares of the company's stock valued at $247,000 after buying an additional 2,510 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in shares of Escalade by 149.7% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 13,221 shares of the company's stock valued at $189,000 after buying an additional 7,927 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 period. Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Escalade in the 1st quarter valued at $305,000. Finally, Rehmann Capital Advisory Group acquired a new position in shares of Escalade in the 1st quarter valued at $4,731,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.22% of the company's stock.

Escalade Trading Up 2.4%

ESCA opened at $12.84 on Thursday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $12.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $13.97. The company has a current ratio of 4.15, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. Escalade, Incorporated has a 12 month low of $11.74 and a 12 month high of $16.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $177.19 million, a P/E ratio of 14.11 and a beta of 0.67.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The company reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.23 by ($0.10). Escalade had a return on equity of 6.86% and a net margin of 5.30%.The business had revenue of $54.33 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.03 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Escalade, Incorporated will post 0.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Escalade Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 6th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 6th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.7%. Escalade's payout ratio is 65.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Escalade news, Director Richard Fenton Baalmann, Jr. sold 4,800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.29, for a total transaction of $58,992.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 110,394 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,356,742.26. The trade was a 4.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 28.75% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Escalade from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, August 10th.

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.

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