Townsquare Media, Inc. (NYSE:TSQ) Short Interest Down 19.2% in December

Townsquare Media, Inc. (NYSE:TSQ) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 171,200 shares, a drop of 19.2% from the December 15th total of 211,900 shares. Approximately 1.5% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 57,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.0 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TSQ has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Townsquare Media from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $17.00 price objective on shares of Townsquare Media in a report on Thursday, November 7th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Townsquare Media news, major shareholder Msd Capital L. P sold 3,311 shares of Townsquare Media stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.32, for a total transaction of $34,169.52. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,515,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,640,125.12. The trade was a 0.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Claire Marie Yenicay sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.65, for a total value of $48,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 207,393 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,001,342.45. This trade represents a 2.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 71,525 shares of company stock worth $713,275 over the last three months. 34.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Townsquare Media

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of TSQ. Copeland Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Townsquare Media in the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of Townsquare Media by 28.9% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 6,698 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 1,503 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of Townsquare Media by 24.4% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 12,660 shares of the company’s stock valued at $139,000 after purchasing an additional 2,481 shares in the last quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Townsquare Media by 33.3% during the fourth quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC now owns 40,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $364,000 after buying an additional 10,000 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its holdings in shares of Townsquare Media by 59.8% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,685 shares of the company’s stock worth $383,000 after buying an additional 14,109 shares in the last quarter. 71.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Townsquare Media Stock Performance

TSQ stock traded up $0.21 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $9.38. 70,705 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 64,552. Townsquare Media has a one year low of $8.70 and a one year high of $13.57. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $9.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $10.27. The company has a market cap of $145.86 million, a PE ratio of -3.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.31.

Townsquare Media Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, February 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a $0.1975 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $0.79 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.42%. Townsquare Media’s dividend payout ratio is presently -29.15%.

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.