Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA) was the target of a large drop in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 85,400 shares, a drop of 13.7% from the February 13th total of 98,900 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 20,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.1 days. Approximately 0.8% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Escalade Trading Down 0.7 %

Escalade stock opened at $14.88 on Thursday. Escalade has a 52-week low of $12.34 and a 52-week high of $16.99. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $203.44 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.83 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $15.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.59.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.20 by ($0.01). Escalade had a return on equity of 7.17% and a net margin of 5.20%. The business had revenue of $251.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.20 million. Sell-side analysts expect that Escalade will post 0.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Escalade Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 7th. Escalade’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.22%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Escalade

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of Escalade by 6.4% in the 4th 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 period. De Lisle Partners LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Escalade by 6.3% in the third quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP now owns 83,886 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,177,000 after buying an additional 5,000 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Escalade by 98.1% in 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 during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Escalade by 8.4% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 28,786 shares of the company’s stock valued at $411,000 after buying an additional 2,221 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arete Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Escalade by 40.6% during the third quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 20,975 shares of the company’s stock worth $292,000 after acquiring an additional 6,059 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.22% of the company’s stock.

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.