Short Interest in Townsquare Media, Inc. (NYSE:TSQ) Declines By 19.2%

Townsquare Media, Inc. (NYSE:TSQ) saw a significant decrease in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 171,200 shares, a decrease of 19.2% from the December 31st total of 211,900 shares. Currently, 1.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 57,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.0 days.

Townsquare Media Trading Down 2.2 %

NYSE TSQ opened at $8.93 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $9.62 and a 200-day moving average of $10.17. Townsquare Media has a 1-year low of $8.70 and a 1-year high of $13.57.

Townsquare Media (NYSE:TSQ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.01. Townsquare Media had a negative return on equity of 57.10% and a negative net margin of 8.84%. The firm had revenue of $115.31 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $115.48 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.46 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Townsquare Media will post 1.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Townsquare Media Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, February 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be paid a $0.1975 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $0.79 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.85%. Townsquare Media’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -29.15%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Scott Schatz sold 4,594 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.65, for a total value of $44,332.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,366 shares in the company, valued at $302,681.90. This trade represents a 12.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Claire Marie Yenicay sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.22, for a total transaction of $46,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 214,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,981,866.66. The trade was a 2.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 71,525 shares of company stock worth $713,275. 30.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Townsquare Media by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 56,634 shares of the company’s stock worth $515,000 after buying an additional 2,804 shares during the last quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC boosted its position in Townsquare Media by 33.3% in the fourth quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC now owns 40,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $364,000 after purchasing an additional 10,000 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its stake in Townsquare Media by 59.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,685 shares of the company’s stock valued at $383,000 after purchasing an additional 14,109 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Townsquare Media by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 278,985 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,835,000 after purchasing an additional 1,151 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Townsquare Media by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 177,163 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,800,000 after purchasing an additional 6,800 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on TSQ shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Townsquare Media from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Noble Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $21.00 target price on shares of Townsquare Media in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $17.00 price target on shares of Townsquare Media in a research report on Thursday, November 7th.

About Townsquare Media

Townsquare Media, Inc operates as a digital media and marketing solutions company in small and medium-sized businesses. It operates through three segments: Subscription Digital Marketing Solutions, Digital Advertising, and Broadcast Advertising. The Subscription Digital Marketing Solutions segment offers website design, creation, and development, as well as hosting services; and search engine optimization, online directory optimization, e-commerce solutions, online reputation monitoring, social media management, appointment scheduling, payment and invoice, customer management, and email and SMS marketing services.