Entravision Communications (NYSE:EVC) Trading 10.2% Higher – Should You Buy?

Entravision Communications Corporation (NYSE:EVC) shot up 10.2% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $8.02 and last traded at $7.8930. 1,234,522 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 32% from the average session volume of 935,641 shares. The stock had previously closed at $7.16.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Entravision Communications from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Sell”.

Entravision Communications Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The company has a market capitalization of $746.83 million, a P/E ratio of -36.91 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $3.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $3.19.

Entravision Communications (NYSE:EVC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 3.41% and a negative return on equity of 25.31%.

Entravision Communications Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Alexandra Seros sold 323,939 shares of Entravision Communications stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.03, for a total value of $2,601,230.17. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,820,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $78,855,748.29. This trade represents a 3.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In the last three months, insiders sold 1,500,000 shares of company stock worth $10,678,636. Company insiders own 8.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Entravision Communications

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of EVC. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Entravision Communications by 35.7% in the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 26,568 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 6,991 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Entravision Communications during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Entravision Communications by 14.0% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 595,685 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,251,000 after buying an additional 73,103 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Entravision Communications by 7.4% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 470,465 shares of the company’s stock valued at $988,000 after buying an additional 32,321 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC increased its position in Entravision Communications by 146.2% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 38,070 shares of the company’s stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 22,606 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.46% of the company’s stock.

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.