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

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on TSQ. Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $17.00 target price on shares of Townsquare Media in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com raised Townsquare Media from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Msd Capital L. P sold 3,311 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.32, for a total value of $34,169.52. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,515,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,640,125.12. This trade represents a 0.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Claire Marie Yenicay sold 5,000 shares of Townsquare Media stock in a transaction on Friday, December 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.65, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 2.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 71,525 shares of company stock valued at $713,275 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 30.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of Townsquare Media by 59.8% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 37,685 shares of the company's stock valued at $383,000 after purchasing an additional 14,109 shares in 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 buying an additional 6,800 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Townsquare Media by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 278,985 shares of the company's stock worth $2,835,000 after buying an additional 1,151 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,503 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in Townsquare Media by 24.4% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 12,660 shares of the company's stock valued at $139,000 after acquiring an additional 2,481 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.69% of the company's stock.

Townsquare Media Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:TSQ traded down $0.12 on Thursday, hitting $9.17. The company had a trading volume of 87,975 shares, compared to its average volume of 83,147. Townsquare Media has a 1 year low of $8.70 and a 1 year high of $13.57. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $9.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $142.53 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.38, a P/E/G ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 1.31.

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 given a dividend of $0.1975 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $0.79 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.62%. Townsquare Media's payout ratio is -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.