Entravision Communications (NYSE:EVC) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Still a Buy?

Shares of Entravision Communications Corporation (NYSE:EVC) saw an uptick in trading volume on Wednesday . 2,001,586 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 65% from the previous session’s volume of 1,212,173 shares.The stock last traded at $7.7750 and had previously closed at $8.08.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wall Street Zen raised Entravision Communications from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Sell”.

Entravision Communications Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $4.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $3.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $732.46 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -36.35 and a beta of 1.36.

Entravision Communications (NYSE:EVC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.10 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $196.97 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $121.49 million. Entravision Communications had a negative return on equity of 25.31% and a negative net margin of 3.41%.

Entravision Communications Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 16th. Entravision Communications’s dividend payout ratio is -90.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Entravision Communications news, major shareholder Alexandra Seros sold 278,163 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.80, for a total value of $2,169,671.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 7,629,180 shares in the company, valued at $59,507,604. This represents a 3.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders sold 3,690,963 shares of company stock valued at $29,047,481 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 8.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Entravision Communications

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Entravision Communications by 24.8% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 568,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,689,000 after acquiring an additional 113,013 shares during the last quarter. Rangeley Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Entravision Communications by 11.1% during the 1st quarter. Rangeley Capital LLC now owns 100,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $297,000 after acquiring an additional 10,000 shares during the last quarter. Teton Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Entravision Communications by 23.1% during the 1st quarter. Teton Advisors LLC now owns 80,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $238,000 after acquiring an additional 15,000 shares during the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Entravision Communications by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 239,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $710,000 after acquiring an additional 16,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IMC Chicago LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Entravision Communications during the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.46% of the company’s stock.

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.