Escalade (ESCA) Declares $0.15 Dividend

Escalade said on May 9, 2023 that its board of directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share ($0.60 annualized). Previously, the company paid $0.15 per share.

Shares must be purchased before the ex-div date of June 9, 2023 to qualify for the dividend. Shareholders of record as of June 12, 2023 will receive the payment on June 19, 2023.

At the current share price of $12.94 / share, the stock's dividend yield is 4.64%.

Looking back five years and taking a sample every week, the average dividend yield has been 4.10%, the lowest has been 2.20%, and the highest has been 9.21%. The standard deviation of yields is 1.23 (n=236).

The current dividend yield is 0.44 standard deviations above the historical average.

Additionally, the company's dividend payout ratio is 0.79. The payout ratio tells us how much of a company's income is paid out in dividends. A payout ratio of one (1.0) means 100% of the company's income is paid in a dividend. A payout ratio greater than one means the company is dipping into savings in order to maintain its dividend - not a healthy situation. Companies with few growth prospects are expected to pay out most of their income in dividends, which typically means a payout ratio between 0.5 and 1.0. Companies with good growth prospects are expected to retain some earnings in order to invest in those growth prospects, which translates to a payout ratio of zero to 0.5.

The company's 3-Year dividend growth rate is 0.20%, demonstrating that it has increased its dividend over time.

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What is the Fund Sentiment?

There are 91 funds or institutions reporting positions in Escalade. This is a decrease of 2 owner(s) or 2.15% in the last quarter. Average portfolio weight of all funds dedicated to ESCA is 0.09%, a decrease of 15.75%. Total shares owned by institutions decreased in the last three months by 1.57% to 3,493K shares. The put/call ratio of ESCA is 0.26, indicating a bullish outlook.

Analyst Price Forecast Suggests 34.00% Upside

As of April 24, 2023, the average one-year price target for Escalade is 17.34. The forecasts range from a low of 17.17 to a high of $17.85. The average price target represents an increase of 34.00% from its latest reported closing price of 12.94.

See our leaderboard of companies with the largest price target upside.

The projected annual revenue for Escalade is 420MM, an increase of 40.88%. The projected annual non-GAAP EPS is 1.79.

What are Other Shareholders Doing?

Minerva Advisors holds 554K shares representing 4.07% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 525K shares, representing an increase of 5.18%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in ESCA by 99.92% over the last quarter.

North Star Investment Management holds 505K shares representing 3.71% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 507K shares, representing a decrease of 0.46%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in ESCA by 430.54% over the last quarter.

VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Investor Shares holds 303K shares representing 2.23% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 238K shares, representing an increase of 21.56%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in ESCA by 20.45% over the last quarter.

NSMVX - North Star Micro Cap Fund Class I Shares holds 244K shares representing 1.79% ownership of the company. No change in the last quarter.

NSDVX - North Star Dividend Fund Class I Shares holds 179K shares representing 1.32% ownership of the company. No change in the last quarter.

Escalade Background Information
(This description is provided by the company.)

Escalade, Inc. manufactures and sells sporting goods and office and graphic arts products. The Company's products include archery equipment, game tables, paper drills, paper shredders, and letter openers, among others. Escalade markets its products worldwide.

This story originally appeared on Fintel.