Entravision Communications (NYSE:EVC) Hits New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Entravision Communications Corporation (NYSE:EVC)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $12.23 and last traded at $12.2570, with a volume of 221163 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $12.03.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on EVC. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Entravision Communications in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Entravision Communications from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Sell”.

Entravision Communications Trading Down 3.5%

The company has a market cap of $1.20 billion, a P/E ratio of -59.11 and a beta of 1.81. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $8.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $4.91.

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

Entravision Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th were paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Entravision Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -90.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Alexandra Seros sold 685,111 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.71, for a total value of $5,967,316.81. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,974,750 shares in the company, valued at approximately $78,170,072.50. This represents a 7.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Paul A. Zevnik sold 324,686 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.67, for a total transaction of $3,139,713.62. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 2,107,582 shares in the company, valued at $20,380,317.94. This represents a 13.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 4,821,690 shares of company stock valued at $39,075,784 over the last 90 days. 8.54% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC raised its holdings in shares of Entravision Communications by 265.0% during the 3rd quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 572,089 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,333,000 after buying an additional 415,348 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd grew its position in Entravision Communications by 40.6% during the third quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 26,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 7,784 shares during the last quarter. Teton Advisors LLC grew its position in Entravision Communications by 23.1% during the first 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 raised its stake in shares of Entravision Communications by 7.2% during the first quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 239,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $710,000 after acquiring an additional 16,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IMC Chicago LLC purchased a new position in shares of Entravision Communications during the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. 69.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Entravision Communications

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.