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

Entravision Communications Corporation (NYSE:EVC) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Wednesday . 2,001,586 shares changed hands during mid-day 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 Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded Entravision Communications from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Entravision Communications currently has an average rating of “Sell”.

Entravision Communications Stock Down 1.4%

The stock has a market cap of $732.46 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -36.35 and a beta of 1.36. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $4.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $3.41.

Entravision Communications (NYSE:EVC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.10 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $196.97 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Entravision Communications

In other Entravision Communications news, major shareholder Alexandra Seros sold 685,111 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.71, for a total transaction of $5,967,316.81. Following the transaction, the insider owned 8,974,750 shares in the company, valued at $78,170,072.50. The trade was a 7.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 3,690,963 shares of company stock worth $29,047,481 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 8.54% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Entravision Communications

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Entravision Communications by 86.4% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 12,298 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 5,702 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in Entravision Communications by 7.1% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 91,341 shares of the company’s stock valued at $212,000 after buying an additional 6,063 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Entravision Communications by 35.7% during 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 during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in shares of Entravision Communications by 78.5% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 17,372 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 7,642 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 7,784 shares during the last quarter. 69.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.