Entravision Communications Corporation (NYSE:EVC) Short Interest Up 29.4% in December

Entravision Communications Corporation (NYSE:EVC) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 717,379 shares, a growth of 29.4% from the November 30th total of 554,566 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 400,857 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.8 days. Currently, 0.9% of the company’s shares are short sold. Currently, 0.9% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 400,857 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.8 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Liberman A. Jeffery sold 85,108 shares of Entravision Communications stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.29, for a total transaction of $280,005.32. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 126,316 shares in the company, valued at approximately $415,579.64. The trade was a 40.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Alexandra Seros sold 157,817 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.75, for a total transaction of $433,996.75. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 11,162,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,696,396.50. This represents a 1.39% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 920,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,658,527. 8.54% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Entravision Communications

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Entravision Communications during the first quarter valued at about $366,000. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Entravision Communications by 10.7% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 10,202,560 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,670,000 after acquiring an additional 984,510 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Entravision Communications in the 2nd quarter valued at about $44,000. Corsair Capital Management L.P. boosted its stake in Entravision Communications by 285.4% during the 2nd quarter. Corsair Capital Management L.P. now owns 100,985 shares of the company’s stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 74,785 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in Entravision Communications by 14.0% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 595,685 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,251,000 after purchasing an additional 73,103 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.46% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Entravision Communications in a report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Sell”.

Entravision Communications Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE EVC opened at $2.96 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. The firm has a market cap of $268.85 million, a PE ratio of -2.27 and a beta of 1.25. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $2.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $2.50. Entravision Communications has a 12-month low of $1.58 and a 12-month high of $3.43.

Entravision Communications (NYSE:EVC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported ($0.11) earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $120.63 million for the quarter. Entravision Communications had a negative net margin of 27.92% and a negative return on equity of 66.12%.

Entravision Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be issued a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.8%. Entravision Communications’s dividend payout ratio is presently -15.38%.

Entravision Communications Company Profile

Entravision Communications Corporation (NYSE: EVC) is a diversified Spanish-language media and advertising company headquartered in Santa Monica, California. The company develops and distributes multimedia content tailored to Hispanic audiences across the United States, leveraging a combination of traditional broadcasting and digital platforms to reach consumers and marketers seeking to engage this fast-growing demographic.

In its broadcasting segment, Entravision owns and operates more than 50 television stations affiliated primarily with leading Spanish-language networks, as well as over 40 radio stations in key U.S.