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

Townsquare Media, Inc. (NYSE:TSQ - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest during 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. Based on an average daily volume of 57,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.0 days. Currently, 1.5% of the company's stock are sold short.

Insider Activity at Townsquare Media

In other news, major shareholder Msd Capital L. P sold 3,311 shares of Townsquare Media stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.32, for a total value of $34,169.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,515,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,640,125.12. This trade represents a 0.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Claire Marie Yenicay sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.22, for a total value 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 approximately $1,981,866.66. The trade was a 2.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 71,525 shares of company stock valued at $713,275. Insiders own 34.90% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Townsquare Media

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TSQ. Barclays PLC grew its stake 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 during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings 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 valued at $1,800,000 after acquiring an additional 6,800 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Townsquare Media by 28.9% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 6,698 shares of the company's stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 1,503 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Townsquare Media by 0.4% in the third 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, Krilogy Financial LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $364,000 after purchasing an additional 10,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.69% of the company's stock.

Townsquare Media Price Performance

Townsquare Media stock traded up $0.39 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $9.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 59,862 shares, compared to its average volume of 72,231. The company has a market cap of $144.13 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.42, a PEG ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 1.31. Townsquare Media has a 1-year low of $8.70 and a 1-year high of $13.57. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $9.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.12.

Townsquare Media (NYSE:TSQ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $115.48 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.46 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Townsquare Media will post 1.07 EPS for the current year.

Townsquare Media Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, February 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st were given a $0.1975 dividend. This represents a $0.79 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.52%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 21st. Townsquare Media's dividend payout ratio is presently -29.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.