Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA) Short Interest Down 13.7% in February

Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 85,400 shares, a decrease of 13.7% from the February 13th total of 98,900 shares. Currently, 0.8% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 20,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.1 days.

Escalade Stock Down 0.3 %

Escalade stock traded down $0.05 on Friday, hitting $14.79. 33,028 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 20,778. Escalade has a 1 year low of $12.34 and a 1 year high of $16.99. The firm has a market cap of $202.21 million, a P/E ratio of 15.73 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 3.45, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $15.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.61.

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

Escalade Announces Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 7th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.06%. Escalade's payout ratio is presently 65.22%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of Escalade by 250.4% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,288 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,635 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted 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 buying an additional 1,278 shares during the last quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Escalade during the third quarter valued at approximately $166,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in Escalade by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 12,430 shares of the company's stock valued at $178,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of Escalade by 251.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 13,185 shares of the company's stock valued at $186,000 after acquiring an additional 9,432 shares during the period. 65.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.