Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA) Short Interest Up 28.2% in April

Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ:ESCA) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 95,900 shares, an increase of 28.2% from the March 31st total of 74,800 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 19,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.0 days. Approximately 1.1% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESCA. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in Escalade by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 23,614 shares of the company’s stock valued at $474,000 after purchasing an additional 1,369 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC bought a new position in shares of Escalade during the second quarter valued at $27,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Escalade by 40.6% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,037 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,000 after buying an additional 2,033 shares in the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Escalade by 13.8% during the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 16,940 shares of the company’s stock valued at $340,000 after purchasing an additional 2,056 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Escalade during the 3rd quarter valued at $47,000. Institutional investors own 65.22% of the company’s stock.

Escalade Trading Down 4.1 %

NASDAQ:ESCA opened at $13.11 on Tuesday. Escalade has a 12 month low of $11.42 and a 12 month high of $22.01. The stock has a market cap of $181.70 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.41 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $13.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $16.88. The company has a current ratio of 4.44, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) last posted its earnings results on Friday, March 29th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter. Escalade had a return on equity of 7.74% and a net margin of 4.76%. The firm had revenue of $65.51 million for the quarter. Equities analysts predict that Escalade will post 1.29 EPS for the current year.

Escalade Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Investors of record on Monday, July 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 8th. Escalade’s payout ratio is currently 65.93%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Escalade from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd.

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.