Escalade Reports First Quarter 2021 Results First-Quarter Highlights - Gross margin improvement of 210 bps to 29.5% - Operating income of $7.1 million, an increase of 194.1% - Diluted EPS of $0.39 per share vs. $0.14 in the first quarter of 2020 News provided by Share this article Share this article EVANSVILLE, Ind., April 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Escalade, Incorporated (NASDAQ: ESCA) – today announced its first quarter for 2021, ended March 20, 2021. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $59.2 million, an increase of 58.7% over prior year, and a record for its first fiscal quarter. This represents the fifth consecutive quarter of record sales. Quarterly diluted earnings per share were $0.39, an increase of 178.6% from prior year.