Townsquare Media (NYSE:TSQ) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Buy Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Townsquare Media (NYSE:TSQ) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Thursday.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on TSQ. Noble Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $21.00 target price on shares of Townsquare Media in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $15.00 price objective on shares of Townsquare Media in a report on Tuesday, March 18th.

Townsquare Media Trading Down 0.5 %

TSQ stock opened at $8.32 on Thursday. Townsquare Media has a 12 month low of $7.56 and a 12 month high of $13.57. The stock has a market cap of $134.03 million, a PE ratio of -3.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $8.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $9.46.

Townsquare Media (NYSE:TSQ) last released its earnings results on Monday, March 17th. The company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60. Townsquare Media had a negative return on equity of 57.10% and a negative net margin of 8.84%. The firm had revenue of $117.81 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $116.41 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.34 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Townsquare Media will post 1.07 EPS for the current year.

Townsquare Media Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 17th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This is an increase from Townsquare Media’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 17th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.62%. Townsquare Media’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -69.57%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Claire Marie Yenicay sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.22, for a total transaction of $46,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 214,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,981,866.66. This trade represents a 2.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 30.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Townsquare Media

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Townsquare Media by 59.8% during 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 last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in Townsquare Media by 4.0% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 177,163 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,800,000 after buying an additional 6,800 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Townsquare Media by 0.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 278,985 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,835,000 after acquiring an additional 1,151 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of Townsquare Media by 28.9% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 6,698 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 1,503 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Townsquare Media by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 56,634 shares of the company’s stock worth $515,000 after acquiring an additional 2,804 shares during the last quarter. 71.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.