ESCALADE INC
ESCA · Sporting & Athletic Goods, NEC · 13.8M shares · -1%/yr ↓ buyback · EDGAR filings ↗
Net buyback after stock comp: $262K (gross $2M, SBC $2M)
Reference price $19.80 · est. market cap ~$273M — last insider sale, 2026-05-08 (estimated from the dated SEC Form 4 price × shares outstanding — not a live quote)
Grade
B72Above-average small-cap sporting-goods franchise with strong returns and balance sheet, tempered by competition and a CEO transition.
Strengths
- Top-decile-area returns: ROA 6.2% (83.3rd pct), operating margin 7.8% (84.6th), FCF margin 11.9% (88.9th)
- Very strong liquidity (current ratio 91.7th pct), low leverage, and 22.4x interest coverage with a deep portfolio of recognized brands
Risks
- ROE moderate (7.9%, 66.7th pct) and bottom-decile gross margin (7.7th pct) in a fragmented, intensely competitive market
- Interim-CEO transition and customer concentration (one customer ~19% of revenue)
Notable findings
Quarterly revenue
Last 4 quarters · from SEC filings.
Key metrics
Gross margin
26.9%
Operating margin
7.8%
Net margin
5.7%
Return on equity
7.9%
Return on assets
6.2%
ROIC
8.0%
Revenue growth (QoQ)
-10.8%
Net-income growth
5.5%
Debt / equity
0.1×
Interest coverage
22.4×
Current ratio
4.3×
Free cash flow
$29M
EBITDA
$24M
Tangible book value
$105M
Stock comp / revenue
0.7%
Insider transactions · last 18 months
| Date | Insider | Type | Shares | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-11 | Griffin Patrick J | Gift | 1.0K | — |
| 2026-06-11 | Griffin Patrick J | Gift | 1.0K | — |
| 2026-06-01 | Baalmann Richard Fenton JR | Gift | 1.0K | — |
| 2026-05-28 | Baalmann Richard Fenton JR | Gift | 1.0K | — |
| 2026-05-08 | Williams Edward E | Option exercise | 2.1K | — |
| 2026-05-08 | Glazer Walter P. Jr. | Sell | 1.0K | $19.80 |
| 2026-05-08 | Franklin Katherine F. | Option exercise | 2.1K | — |
| 2026-05-08 | Baalmann Richard Fenton JR | Option exercise | 2.1K | — |
| 2026-05-07 | Glazer Walter P. Jr. | Option exercise | 2.2K | — |
| 2026-05-07 | Baalmann Richard Fenton JR | Option exercise | 2.2K | — |
| 2026-05-07 | Glazer Walter P. Jr. | Sell | 33K | $19.83 |
| 2026-05-07 | Franklin Katherine F. | Option exercise | 2.2K | — |
| 2026-05-07 | Williams Edward E | Option exercise | 2.2K | — |
| 2026-04-03 | Glazer Walter P. Jr. | Option exercise | 19K | — |
| 2026-04-03 | Wawrin Stephen | Option exercise | 2.4K | — |
| 2026-04-03 | Griffin Patrick J | Option exercise | 2.1K | — |
| 2026-03-11 | Wawrin Stephen | Option exercise | 2.0K | — |
| 2026-03-11 | Griffin Patrick J | Option exercise | 1.8K | — |
| 2026-03-11 | Glazer Walter P. Jr. | Option exercise | 2.8K | — |
| 2026-03-03 | Griffin Patrick J | Option exercise | 1.9K | — |
| 2026-03-03 | Glazer Walter P. Jr. | Option exercise | 28K | — |
| 2026-03-03 | Wawrin Stephen | Option exercise | 2.8K | — |
| 2026-02-27 | Griffin Patrick J | Grant | 11K | $14.40 |
| 2025-12-11 | Baalmann Richard Fenton JR | Sell | 5.5K | $13.00 |
| 2025-12-10 | Baalmann Richard Fenton JR | Sell | 4.2K | $13.00 |
| 2025-12-01 | Baalmann Richard Fenton JR | Sell | 286 | $13.35 |
| 2025-11-21 | Wawrin Stephen | Sell | 2.0K | $13.00 |
| 2025-09-15 | Baalmann Richard Fenton JR | Sell | 4.8K | $12.29 |
| 2025-08-14 | Glazer Walter P. Jr. | Gift | 140K | — |
| 2025-08-14 | Glazer Walter P. Jr. | Gift | 140K | — |
| 2025-08-14 | Glazer Walter P. Jr. | Gift | 44K | — |
| 2025-08-14 | Glazer Walter P. Jr. | Gift | 44K | — |
| 2025-06-05 | Griffin Patrick J | Gift | 2.6K | — |
| 2025-06-05 | Griffin Patrick J | Gift | 1.3K | — |
| 2025-06-05 | Griffin Patrick J | Gift | 1.3K | — |
| 2025-05-20 | Glazer Walter P. Jr. | Grant | 7.9K | $14.98 |
| 2025-05-16 | Wawrin Stephen | Sell | 2.2K | $15.16 |
| 2025-05-10 | Franklin Katherine F. | Option exercise | 2.6K | — |
| 2025-05-10 | Williams Edward E | Option exercise | 2.6K | — |
| 2025-05-10 | Baalmann Richard Fenton JR | Option exercise | 2.6K | — |
| 2025-05-08 | Franklin Katherine F. | Option exercise | 2.1K | — |
| 2025-05-08 | Williams Edward E | Option exercise | 2.1K | — |
| 2025-05-08 | Baalmann Richard Fenton JR | Option exercise | 2.1K | — |
| 2025-04-03 | Glazer Walter P. Jr. | Option exercise | 19K | — |
| 2025-04-03 | Wawrin Stephen | Option exercise | 2.4K | — |
| 2025-04-03 | Griffin Patrick J | Option exercise | 2.1K | — |
| 2025-04-01 | Boehm Armin | Option exercise | 35K | — |
| 2025-03-11 | Griffin Patrick J | Grant | 8.3K | $14.98 |
| 2025-03-03 | Griffin Patrick J | Option exercise | 1.9K | — |
| 2025-03-03 | Wawrin Stephen | Option exercise | 2.8K | — |
| 2025-03-03 | Glazer Walter P. Jr. | Option exercise | 28K | — |
| 2025-03-02 | Glazer Walter P. Jr. | Option exercise | 25K | — |
| 2025-03-02 | Griffin Patrick J | Option exercise | 1.7K | — |
| 2025-03-02 | Wawrin Stephen | Option exercise | 2.5K | — |
| 2025-01-01 | Glazer Walter P. Jr. | Option exercise | 18K | — |
All non-derivative Form 4 activity (SEC), newest first.
Supply chain
Customers (0)
Suppliers (1)
- STIGA Sports AB
Named in the 10-K; linked when we track them.
Notable events (8-K)
| Date | Items | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-05 | Shareholder vote | filing ↗ |
| 2026-04-30 | ResultsOtherExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2026-03-06 | Exec/director changeExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2026-02-27 | ResultsOtherExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2025-12-17 | OtherExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2025-11-12 | Exec/director changeExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2025-10-30 | ResultsExec/director changeReg FDOtherExhibits | filing ↗ |
| 2025-09-29 | OtherExhibits | filing ↗ |
Recent filings
| Form | Filed | Period | Accession |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8-K | 2026-05-05 | 2026-05-05 | 0001437749-26-014869 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-04-30 | 2026-04-29 | 0001437749-26-013974 ↗ |
| 10-Q | 2026-04-30 | 2026-03-31 | 0001437749-26-013975 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-03-06 | 2026-03-05 | 0001437749-26-007120 ↗ |
| 10-K | 2026-02-27 | 2025-12-31 | 0001437749-26-006094 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2026-02-27 | 2026-02-26 | 0001437749-26-005968 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2025-12-17 | 2025-12-16 | 0001437749-25-038067 ↗ |
| 8-K/A | 2025-11-12 | 2025-10-29 | 0001437749-25-034145 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2025-10-30 | 2025-10-29 | 0001437749-25-032266 ↗ |
| 10-Q | 2025-10-30 | 2025-09-30 | 0001437749-25-032415 ↗ |
| 8-K | 2025-09-29 | 2025-09-29 | 0001437749-25-029955 ↗ |
| 10-Q | 2025-08-01 | 2025-06-30 | 0001437749-25-024277 ↗ |