Comparing Escalade (NASDAQ:ESCA) and PLBY Group (NASDAQ:PLBY)
by Kim Johansen · The Markets DailyEscalade (NASDAQ:ESCA – Get Free Report) and PLBY Group (NASDAQ:PLBY – Get Free Report) are both small-cap consumer discretionary companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, risk, valuation, earnings, profitability and analyst recommendations.
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Escalade and PLBY Group”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Escalade | $251.51 million | 0.78 | $12.99 million | $0.91 | 15.54 |
| PLBY Group | $116.14 million | 1.70 | -$79.40 million | ($0.33) | -5.55 |
Escalade has higher revenue and earnings than PLBY Group. PLBY Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Escalade, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for Escalade and PLBY Group, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Escalade | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3.00 |
| PLBY Group | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2.50 |
PLBY Group has a consensus target price of $3.00, suggesting a potential upside of 63.93%. Given PLBY Group’s higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe PLBY Group is more favorable than Escalade.
Profitability
This table compares Escalade and PLBY Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Escalade | 5.26% | 7.49% | 5.65% |
| PLBY Group | -24.10% | N/A | -8.22% |
Institutional & Insider Ownership
65.2% of Escalade shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 32.5% of PLBY Group shares are held by institutional investors. 28.8% of Escalade shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 38.3% of PLBY Group shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Risk and Volatility
Escalade has a beta of 0.69, meaning that its share price is 31% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, PLBY Group has a beta of 2.62, meaning that its share price is 162% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Escalade beats PLBY Group on 9 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.
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. It offers archery products under the Bear Archery, Trophy Ridge, Whisker Biscuit, Cajun Bowfishing, Karnage, SIK, BearX, and Bear Traditional brand names; table tennis products under the STIGA and Ping-Pong brands; basketball goals under the Goalrilla, Goaliath, Silverback, Hoopstar, and Goalsetter brand names; and pickleball under the Onix, DURA, and Pickleball Now brands. The company also provides play systems under the Woodplay, Jack & June, and Childlife brands; fitness products under the STEP, Lifeline, Kettleworx, Natural Fitness, USW, and PER4M brand names; safety products under the USWeight brand; hockey and soccer game tables under the Triumph Sports, Atomic, American Legend, Air Hockey, and HJ Scott brands; and billiard tables and accessories under the American Heritage Billiards, Brunswick Billiards, Gold Crown, Centennial, Cue&Case, Lucasi, Mizerak, PureX, Rage, Players, Minnesota Fats, and Mosconi brand names. In addition, it offers darting products under the Unicorn, Winmau, DMI, Prodigy, Arachnid, Accudart, and Nodor brands; water sports products under the RAVE Sports brand; and outdoor game products under the Victory Tailgate, Triumph Sports, ACL, and Zume Games brand names. The company provides its products through sporting goods retailers, specialty dealers, online retailers, direct-to-consumer, e-commerce, traditional department stores, and mass merchants. Escalade, Incorporated was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Evansville, Indiana.
About PLBY Group
PLBY Group, Inc. operates as a pleasure and leisure company in the United States, Australia, China, the United Kingdom, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Licensing, Direct-to-Consumer, and Digital Subscriptions and Content. The company offers sexual wellness products, such as lingerie, bedroom accessories, intimacy products, and other adult products; style and apparel products for men and women; digital entertainment and lifestyle products; and beauty and grooming products for men and women, such as skincare, haircare, bath and body, grooming, cosmetics, and fragrance. It also owns and operates digital commerce retail platforms, such as playboy.com, honeybirdette.com, yandy.com, and loversstores.com; and Honey Birdette and Lovers retail stores. In addition, the company licenses Playboy name, Rabbit Head Design, and other trademarks and related properties; and programming content to cable television operators and direct-to-home satellite television operators. Further, the company business covers the subscription sale of playboyplus.com and playboy.tv, which are online content platforms. It offers its products under its flagship brand Playboy. PLBY Group, Inc. is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.