Direct Digital Holdings (DRCT) – Raising Estimates


Thursday, April 20, 2023

Michael Kupinski, Director of Research – Digital, Media & Technology Analyst, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Patrick McCann, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Revenue restatement. Certain invoices were not sent in a timely manner and roughly $1.4 million in revenue was not captured in its preliminary 2022 full year results. As such, full year revenue was $89.4 million rather than $88.0 million, as previously reported, and adj. EBITDA was $10.1 million rather than $8.8 million.

Favorable operating momentum. The restatement positively impacted 2022 results and, importantly, management re-iterated full year 2023 guidance of revenue between $118 million to $122 million.


Get the Full Report

Equity Research is available at no cost to Registered users of Channelchek. Not a Member? Click ‘Join’ to join the Channelchek Community. There is no cost to register, and we never collect credit card information.

This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).

*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

Travelzoo (TZOO) – Results Point Toward Favorable Momentum


Thursday, March 23, 2023

Travelzoo® provides its 30 million members with exclusive offers and one-of-a-kind experiences personally reviewed by our deal experts around the globe. We have our finger on the pulse of outstanding travel, entertainment, and lifestyle experiences. We work in partnership with more than 5,000 top travel suppliers—our long-standing relationships give Travelzoo members access to irresistible deals.

Michael Kupinski, Director of Research, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Patrick McCann, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Strong Q4 results. The company reported strong Q4 operating results, with revenue up 31.6% to $18.6 million and Adj. EBITDA up an impressive 328% to $4.7 million. Notably, the company’s North America segment grew revenue by 53% and reported margins of 29%. The company benefited from favorable travel trends and lower operating expenses, particularly marketing expenses. 

Favorable trends. The company has positive revenue and margin momentum moving into 2023. Management highlighted the opportunity for further margin growth given potential advertising price increases in Q2. The company appears to be benefiting from pent up travel demand from its travel enthusiast base. 


Get the Full Report

Equity Research is available at no cost to Registered users of Channelchek. Not a Member? Click ‘Join’ to join the Channelchek Community. There is no cost to register, and we never collect credit card information.

This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).

*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

Townsquare Media (TSQ) – Takes A Big Step To Return Capital To Shareholders


Friday, March 10, 2023

Townsquare is a community-focused digital media and digital marketing solutions company with market leading local radio stations, principally focused outside the top 50 markets in the U.S. Our assets include a subscription digital marketing services business, Townsquare Interactive, providing website design, creation and hosting, search engine optimization, social media and online reputation management as well as other digital monthly services for approximately 26,800 SMBs; a robust digital advertising division, Townsquare IGNITE, a powerful combination of a) an owned and operated portfolio of more than 330 local news and entertainment websites and mobile apps along with a network of leading national music and entertainment brands, collecting valuable first party data, and b) a proprietary digital programmatic advertising technology stack with an in-house demand and data management platform; and a portfolio of 321 local terrestrial radio stations in 67 U.S. markets strategically situated outside the Top 50 markets in the United States. Our portfolio includes local media brands such as WYRK.com, WJON.com, and NJ101.5.com and premier national music brands such as XXLmag.com, TasteofCountry.com, UltimateClassicRock.com and Loudwire.com.

Michael Kupinski, Director of Research, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Patrick McCann, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Strong Q4 results. The company reported Q4 revenue of $120.3 million, an increase of 8.8% from the prior year period, beating our estimate of $118.1 million by 1.8%. Adj. EBITDA of $28.4 million grew by 11% from the same period last year and beat our estimate of $28 million by 1.4%. Digital advertising grew $5.2 million to $36.8 million, up 16.3% from the prior year period.

Soft start to the year. Management guided Q1 revenue to be flat to modestly higher from the year earlier in the range of $100 million to $102 million. Adj. EBITDA to be down yoy in the range of $17.5 million to $18.5 million. National advertising is pacing down 30% in Q1, a decline of $3 million from prior year quarter, with sports accounting for 66%. Its Interactive business has softened and is pacing flat revenues in Q1, while digital advertising is pacing up 12% to 14%.


Get the Full Report

Equity Research is available at no cost to Registered users of Channelchek. Not a Member? Click ‘Join’ to join the Channelchek Community. There is no cost to register, and we never collect credit card information.

This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).

*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

Entravision Communications (EVC) – Its Digital Businesses On A Roll


Friday, March 10, 2023

Entravision Communications Corporation is a diversified Spanish-language media company utilizing a combination of television and radio operations to reach Hispanic consumers across the United States, as well as the border markets of Mexico. Entravision owns and/or operates 53 primary television stations and is the largest affiliate group of both the top-ranked Univision television network and Univision’s TeleFutura network, with television stations in 20 of the nation’s top 50 Hispanic markets. The Company also operates one of the nation’s largest groups of primarily Spanish-language radio stations, consisting of 48 owned and operated radio stations.

Michael Kupinski, Director of Research, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Patrick McCann, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Strong Q4 results. The company reported quarterly revenue of $296.3 million, up 27% from the prior year period, surpassing our estimate of $265.4 million by 11.7%. Adj. EBITDA of $36.5 million increased 11% year over year and beat our estimate of $34.8 million by 5.1%. The quarter was driven by strong digital revenue growth of $52.6 million, up 30% year-over-year.

Capital allocation. The company announced a 100% increase in its quarterly cash dividend, from $0.025 per share to $0.05 per share. Given its favorable cash position of $ $110.7 million and robust free cash flow generation of $63.3 million in 2022, we expect the company to seek additional accretive acquisitions and comfortably pay the dividend. Notably, management highlighted a favorable pipeline of potential targets.


Get the Full Report

Equity Research is available at no cost to Registered users of Channelchek. Not a Member? Click ‘Join’ to join the Channelchek Community. There is no cost to register, and we never collect credit card information.

This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).

*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

Harte Hanks (HHS) – Anticipating Another Good year


Wednesday, March 08, 2023

Harte Hanks (NASDAQ: HHS) is a leading global customer experience company whose mission is to partner with clients to provide them with CX strategy, data-driven analytics and actionable insights combined with seamless program execution to better understand, attract, and engage their customers. Using its unparalleled resources and award-winning talent in the areas of Customer Care, Fulfillment and Logistics, and Marketing Services, Harte Hanks has a proven track record of driving results for some of the world’s premier brands including Bank of America, GlaxoSmithKline, Unilever, Pfizer, HBOMax, Volvo, Ford, FedEx, Midea, Sony, and IBM among others. Headquartered in Chelmsford, Massachusetts , Harte Hanks has over 2,500 employees in offices across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific .

Michael Kupinski, Director of Research, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Patrick McCann, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Solid Q4 & full year results. The company reported Q4 revenue of $54.8 million, up 5.4%,  and Adj. EBITDA of $5 million, in line with our estimates. Revenue growth was driven by fulfillment & logistics, which grew 34.4% from year earlier results. Full year revenue and Adj. EBITDA grew by 6% and 12%, respectively, a solid performance given the robust growth in 2021, where revenue and Adj. EBITDA grew by 10% and 467%, respectively. 

Slow start to 2023. The company faces a difficult comp in Q1 due to non-recurring customer care revenue and lower margin revenue mix in the seasonally light quarter. Notably, we are tweaking upward our Q1 adj. EBITDA estimate given a slightly higher margin expectation. 


Get the Full Report

Equity Research is available at no cost to Registered users of Channelchek. Not a Member? Click ‘Join’ to join the Channelchek Community. There is no cost to register, and we never collect credit card information.

This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).

*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

Engine Gaming and Media (GAME) – An Eye On The Game


Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Engine Gaming and Media, Inc. (NASDAQ:GAME) (TSX-V:GAME) provides premium social sports and esports gaming experiences, as well as unparalleled data analytics, marketing, advertising, and intellectual property to support its owned and operated direct-to-consumer properties, while also providing these services to enable its clients and partners. The company’s subsidiaries include Stream Hatchet, the global leader in gaming video distribution analytics; Sideqik, a social influencer marketing discovery, analytics, and activation platform; WinView Games, a social predictive play-along gaming platform for viewers to play while watching live events; and Frankly Media, a digital publishing platform used to create, distribute and monetize content across all digital channels. Engine Media generates revenue through a combination of direct-to-consumer fees, streaming technology and data SaaS-based offerings, and programmatic advertising. For more information, please visit www.enginegaming.com.

Michael Kupinski, Director of Research, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Patrick McCann, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Q1 results. The company reported revenue of $10.3 million, which beat our estimate of $9.8 million by 5%. Revenue was better than expected despite a decrease in advertising revenue due to changes in the algorithms that drive audience traffic. Adj. EBITDA for the quarter was a loss of $2.7 million, in line with our estimate.

Favorable influencer analytics trends. Management noted that there is heightened demand for influencer marketing. Notably. influencer and gaming analytics software as a service (SaaS) revenue grew by 34.6% on a year over year basis, helping to offset a decline in advertising revenues.


Get the Full Report

Equity Research is available at no cost to Registered users of Channelchek. Not a Member? Click ‘Join’ to join the Channelchek Community. There is no cost to register, and we never collect credit card information.

This Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).

*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

Entravision Communications (EVC) – Loses Its Visionary


Wednesday, January 04, 2023

Entravision Communications Corporation is a diversified Spanish-language media company utilizing a combination of television and radio operations to reach Hispanic consumers across the United States, as well as the border markets of Mexico. Entravision owns and/or operates 53 primary television stations and is the largest affiliate group of both the top-ranked Univision television network and Univision’s TeleFutura network, with television stations in 20 of the nation’s top 50 Hispanic markets. The Company also operates one of the nation’s largest groups of primarily Spanish-language radio stations, consisting of 48 owned and operated radio stations.

Michael Kupinski, Director of Research, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Patrick McCann, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Founder & CEO, Walter Ulloa passes. The company announced that founding CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Walter Ulloa, died on December 31, 2022, of a sudden heart attack. The board appointed CFO Chris Young as interim CEO while it begins its search for a new CEO.

Legacy of dynamic leadership. Mr. Ulloa served as chairman and CEO since cofounding the company in 1996. He led the company’s expansion as a Spanish language broadcaster and oversaw its more recent transition to a digital media company with a global presence.


Get the Full Report

Equity Research is available at no cost to Registered users of Channelchek. Not a Member? Click ‘Join’ to join the Channelchek Community. There is no cost to register, and we never collect credit card information.

This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).

*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

Harte Hanks (HHS) – An Acquisition That Appears Attractive, InsideOut


Friday, December 02, 2022

Harte Hanks (NASDAQ: HHS) is a leading global customer experience company whose mission is to partner with clients to provide them with CX strategy, data-driven analytics and actionable insights combined with seamless program execution to better understand, attract, and engage their customers. Using its unparalleled resources and award-winning talent in the areas of Customer Care, Fulfillment and Logistics, and Marketing Services, Harte Hanks has a proven track record of driving results for some of the world’s premier brands including Bank of America, GlaxoSmithKline, Unilever, Pfizer, HBOMax, Volvo, Ford, FedEx, Midea, Sony, and IBM among others. Headquartered in Chelmsford, Massachusetts , Harte Hanks has over 2,500 employees in offices across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific .

Michael Kupinski, Director of Research, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Patrick McCann, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

A tuck-in acquisition. On December 1, 2022, the company completed an acquisition of InsideOut Solutions, a firm that specializes in third party inbound and outbound sales, for $7.5 million. The acquisition complements the company’s Marketing and Customer Care segments nicely, while expanding cross selling capabilities. The pruchase price is an attractive 3 to 4 times adj. EBITDA, post synergies.

Substantial synergies.  The acquisition of InsideOut will broaden the scope of services offered by the company, creating more cross selling and lead generating opportunities. With a robust new business pipeline, management expects InsideOut 2023 revenue growth between 20% to 25%. The business is expected to be cash flow positive, generating $2 million to $2.5 million in EBITDA.


Get the Full Report

Equity Research is available at no cost to Registered users of Channelchek. Not a Member? Click ‘Join’ to join the Channelchek Community. There is no cost to register, and we never collect credit card information.

This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).

*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

Travelzoo (TZOO) – A Merger Long In The Making


Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Travelzoo® provides its 30 million members with exclusive offers and one-of-a-kind experiences personally reviewed by our deal experts around the globe. We have our finger on the pulse of outstanding travel, entertainment, and lifestyle experiences. We work in partnership with more than 5,000 top travel suppliers—our long-standing relationships give Travelzoo members access to irresistible deals.

Michael Kupinski, Director of Research, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Patrick McCann, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

Attractive merger. On November 25, 2022, the company entered into a stock purchase agreement with Azzurro Capital Inc, the company’s current largest shareholder. Travelzoo will issue 3.41 million shares in exchange for $10 million and Metaverse Travel Experiences (MTE), a fully owned subsidiary of Azzurro. Following the merger, Azzurro will own slightly more than 50% of the outstanding shares. Assuming shareholder approval, the transaction should close by year end. 

Terms of the deal. The $10 million can be paid in a combination of cash and promissory notes, at the election of Azzurro. There must be a minimum of $2 million in cash received at the time of closing. The remaining $8 million would be in secured promissory notes that would be repaid in two installments, March and June of 2023. The structure of the deal should allow Travelzoo to absorb the significant NOLs of the acquired company. 


Get the Full Report

Equity Research is available at no cost to Registered users of Channelchek. Not a Member? Click ‘Join’ to join the Channelchek Community. There is no cost to register, and we never collect credit card information.

This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).

*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision.