Entravision Communications (NYSE:EVC) Sets New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Entravision Communications Corporation (NYSE:EVC)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $10.24 and last traded at $10.2090, with a volume of 856225 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $9.87.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EVC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued 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 report on Saturday, May 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Sell”.

Entravision Communications Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $7.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $4.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 1.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $942.50 million, a P/E ratio of -46.57 and a beta of 1.79.

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

Entravision Communications Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be given a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Entravision Communications’s dividend payout ratio is currently -90.91%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Paul A. Zevnik sold 324,686 shares of Entravision Communications stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director directly owned 2,107,582 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,380,317.94. This trade represents a 13.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 sale, the insider directly owned 8,974,750 shares in the company, valued at $78,170,072.50. The trade was a 7.09% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 4,821,690 shares of company stock valued at $39,075,784. 8.54% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Entravision Communications

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EVC. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC increased its holdings in shares of Entravision Communications by 265.0% during the third quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 572,089 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,333,000 after acquiring an additional 415,348 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd boosted its stake in Entravision Communications by 40.6% in the 3rd quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 26,963 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 7,784 shares in the last quarter. Teton Advisors LLC grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 15,000 shares during the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 16,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IMC Chicago LLC bought a new stake in Entravision Communications during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. 69.46% of the stock is owned by 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.