Rehmann Capital Advisory Group Purchases New Position in Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA)

Rehmann Capital Advisory Group purchased a new position in Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 309,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,731,000. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group owned approximately 2.26% of Escalade at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ESCA. Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Escalade in the first quarter worth approximately $305,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Escalade by 98.1% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 37,474 shares of the company's stock valued at $535,000 after buying an additional 18,560 shares in the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Escalade during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $217,000. Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in Escalade by 149.7% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 13,221 shares of the company's stock valued at $189,000 after purchasing an additional 7,927 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Escalade by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 127,446 shares of the company's stock worth $1,820,000 after acquiring an additional 7,659 shares during the last quarter. 65.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Stephen Wawrin sold 2,177 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.16, for a total value of $33,003.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 43,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $651,880. This trade represents a 4.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 28.75% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Escalade Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ESCA traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $14.35. 6,341 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 21,441. The firm has a market cap of $197.84 million, a PE ratio of 14.64 and a beta of 0.77. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $14.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.84. Escalade, Incorporated has a 12 month low of $12.54 and a 12 month high of $16.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a current ratio of 4.05.

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

Escalade Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 7th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.18%. Escalade's payout ratio is presently 61.22%.

Escalade 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.