Travelzoo (NASDAQ:TZOO) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

Travelzoo (NASDAQ:TZOO) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 150,400 shares, a decrease of 21.2% from the November 30th total of 190,900 shares. Approximately 2.1% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 133,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.1 days.

Travelzoo Stock Up 0.7 %

NASDAQ TZOO traded up $0.13 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $19.85. 154,272 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 113,033. Travelzoo has a 12-month low of $7.12 and a 12-month high of $22.44. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $18.64 and a 200 day moving average of $13.47. The company has a market cap of $234.31 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.55 and a beta of 1.71.

Travelzoo (NASDAQ:TZOO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The information services provider reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.06. Travelzoo had a net margin of 16.67% and a return on equity of 210.54%. The company had revenue of $20.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.15 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.16 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Travelzoo will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Travelzoo announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, October 23rd that authorizes the company to repurchase 1,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the information services provider to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on TZOO. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Travelzoo from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Ascendiant Capital Markets increased their price objective on Travelzoo from $18.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Barrington Research boosted their target price on Travelzoo from $12.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Litchfield Hills Research began coverage on Travelzoo in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $35.00 price target for the company.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Holger Bartel sold 23,057 shares of Travelzoo stock in a transaction on Friday, December 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.73, for a total value of $454,914.61. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 4,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $78,920. The trade was a 85.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Azzurro Capital Inc sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.02, for a total transaction of $150,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 4,837,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $72,662,193.92. This trade represents a 0.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 265,557 shares of company stock worth $4,672,865. Corporate insiders own 57.45% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Travelzoo

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Travelzoo during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. American Century Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in Travelzoo during the second quarter worth about $82,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Travelzoo in the 2nd quarter worth about $82,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Travelzoo in the 3rd quarter worth about $134,000. Finally, Barclays PLC acquired a new position in shares of Travelzoo in the 3rd quarter valued at about $138,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.39% of the company’s stock.

Travelzoo Company Profile

Travelzoo, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an Internet media company that provides travel, entertainment, and local experiences worldwide. It operates in four segments: Travelzoo North America, Travelzoo Europe, Jack's Flight Club, and New Initiatives. The company offers Travelzoo website, Travelzoo Top 20 email newsletters, Standalone email newsletters, Travelzoo Network, Travelzoo mobile applications, Jack's Flight Club website, Jack's Flight Club mobile applications, and Jack's Flight Club newsletters.