Travelzoo (NASDAQ:TZOO) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Travelzoo (NASDAQ:TZOO) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 185,300 shares, a growth of 23.2% from the December 31st total of 150,400 shares. Approximately 2.5% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 138,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.3 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on TZOO. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Travelzoo from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Barrington Research boosted their target price on shares of Travelzoo from $12.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Ascendiant Capital Markets raised their target price on Travelzoo from $18.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Travelzoo news, major shareholder Azzurro Capital Inc sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.60, for a total value of $392,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,442,696 shares in the company, valued at approximately $87,076,841.60. The trade was a 0.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Holger Bartel sold 23,057 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.73, for a total transaction of $454,914.61. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 4,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $78,920. The trade was a 85.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 155,557 shares of company stock worth $2,843,940. Corporate insiders own 57.45% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Travelzoo

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Travelzoo during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. American Century Companies Inc. bought a new position in Travelzoo in the 2nd quarter valued at $82,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Travelzoo in the 3rd quarter valued at $134,000. Barclays PLC bought a new stake in shares of Travelzoo during the third quarter worth $138,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in Travelzoo during the 3rd quarter valued at about $173,000. 27.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Travelzoo Stock Performance

NASDAQ TZOO traded down $0.16 during trading on Friday, reaching $19.61. 44,773 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 101,674. Travelzoo has a 1-year low of $7.12 and a 1-year high of $22.44. The company has a market cap of $231.34 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.32 and a beta of 1.71. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $20.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $15.48.

Travelzoo declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, October 23rd that permits the company to repurchase 1,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the information services provider to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.