Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report report published on Sunday morning.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Escalade in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Escalade from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Escalade Stock Performance

NASDAQ ESCA opened at $14.25 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $196.65 million, a P/E ratio of 15.66 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 3.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company’s 50 day moving average is $13.67 and its 200-day moving average is $12.84. Escalade has a 12-month low of $11.41 and a 12-month high of $16.99.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Stephen Wawrin sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.00, for a total value of $26,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 41,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $533,000. The trade was a 4.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Richard Fenton Baalmann, Jr. sold 5,490 shares of Escalade stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.00, for a total transaction of $71,370.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 100,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,305,122. The trade was a 5.18% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 12,000 shares of company stock valued at $156,100. Company insiders own 28.75% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Escalade

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Escalade during the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey bought a new stake in Escalade during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in shares of Escalade by 439.0% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,622 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 2,950 shares during the period. Certior Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Escalade during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $141,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Escalade by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 11,845 shares of the company’s stock worth $160,000 after acquiring an additional 779 shares in the last quarter. 65.22% of the stock is 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.