Ritholtz Wealth Management Takes $305,000 Position in Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA)

Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 19,922 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $305,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management owned approximately 0.15% of Escalade as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in shares of Escalade by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 12,430 shares of the company's stock valued at $178,000 after buying an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its holdings in shares of Escalade by 22.9% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 6,870 shares of the company's stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 1,278 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of Escalade by 250.4% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,288 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 1,635 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of Escalade by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 15,041 shares of the company's stock worth $214,000 after buying an additional 1,856 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Escalade by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 28,786 shares of the company's stock worth $411,000 after purchasing an additional 2,221 shares during the period. 65.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Escalade Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of Escalade stock traded up $0.23 on Tuesday, reaching $14.10. The stock had a trading volume of 28,448 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,870. Escalade, Incorporated has a 1 year low of $12.54 and a 1 year high of $16.99. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $14.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $14.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 4.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $194.44 million, a P/E ratio of 14.39 and a beta of 0.81.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.06. Escalade had a return on equity of 7.49% and a net margin of 5.54%. The firm had revenue of $55.48 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $54.44 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Escalade, Incorporated will post 0.93 EPS for the current year.

Escalade Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 14th. Investors of record on Monday, July 7th will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 7th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.26%. Escalade's dividend payout ratio is currently 61.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Stephen Wawrin sold 2,177 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 43,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $651,880. This represents a 4.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 28.75% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.