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Richard Sloan from the University of Michigan was first to document what is referred to as the "accrual anomaly". His 1996 paper found that shares of companies with small or negative accruals vastly outperform (+10%) those of companies with large ones.
Townsquare Media's Sloan Ratio for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was -7.48%.
As of Mar. 2026, Townsquare Media has a Sloan Ratio of -7.48%, indicating the company is in the safe zone and there is no funny business with accruals.
Townsquare Media (NYSE:TSQ) Sloan Ratio % Explanation
A former University of Michigan researcher, Richard Sloan's 1996 paper found that shares of companies with small or negative accruals vastly outperform (+10%) those of companies with large ones. In fact, for the 40-year period between 1962 and 2001, buying the lowest accrual companies and shorting the highest accrual companies resulted in an average annual compounded return of 18%, more than double the S&P 500's 7.4% annual return over the same period.
If the Sloan Ratio is between -10% and 10%, the company is in the safe zone and there is no funny business with accruals.
If the Sloan Ratio is less than between -25% and -10% on the negative side, and between 10% and 25% on the positive side, this is a warning stage of accrual build up.
If the Sloan Ratio is less than -25% or greater than 25%, and this ratio is consistent over several quarters or even years, be careful. Earnings are highly likely to be made up of accruals.
As of Mar. 2026, Townsquare Media has a Sloan Ratio of -7.48%, indicating the company is in the safe zone and there is no funny business with accruals.
Townsquare Media Sloan Ratio % Related Terms
Townsquare Media Sloan Ratio % Historical Data
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The historical data trend for Townsquare Media's Sloan Ratio % can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
For the Advertising Agencies subindustry, Townsquare Media's Sloan Ratio %, along with its competitors' market caps and Sloan Ratio % data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Townsquare Media Sloan Ratio % vs Media - Diversified Industry
For the Media - Diversified industry and Communication Services sector, Townsquare Media's Sloan Ratio % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Townsquare Media's Sloan Ratio % falls into.
Earnings contain a lot of non cash earnings which is called accruals. The Sloan ratio is a way to identify firms with low non-cash or accrual-derived earnings relative to their cash flow.
Townsquare Media's Sloan Ratio for the fiscal year that ended in Dec. 2025 is calculated as
Townsquare Media's Net Income for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Mar. 2026 was 1.567 (Jun. 2025 ) + -5.902 (Sep. 2025 ) + -5.199 (Dec. 2025 ) + 2.774 (Mar. 2026 ) = $-6.8 Mil.
Townsquare Media's Cash Flow from Operations for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Mar. 2026 was 10.195 (Jun. 2025 ) + 7.88 (Sep. 2025 ) + 12.594 (Dec. 2025 ) + 4.195 (Mar. 2026 ) = $34.9 Mil.
Townsquare Media's Cash Flow from Investing for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Mar. 2026 was 2.438 (Jun. 2025 ) + -1.485 (Sep. 2025 ) + -1.068 (Dec. 2025 ) + -2.891 (Mar. 2026 ) = $-3.0 Mil.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
Townsquare Media (TSQ) has a Sloan Ratio % of -7.48% as of Mar. 2026. Sloan ratio measures earnings quality based on the amount of accruals. View historical data on Townsquare Media and its competitors.
Is Townsquare Media's Sloan Ratio % too high?
Townsquare Media's current Sloan Ratio % is -7.48%. Overall, Townsquare Media has a GF Score™ of 68/100 and is considered Possible Value Trap, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Townsquare Media's Sloan Ratio % compare to FLNT and HFUS?
Townsquare Media's Sloan Ratio % of -7.48% can be compared against companies in the Media - Diversified industry. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Sloan Ratio % for a Media - Diversified company?
A good Sloan Ratio % depends on the Media - Diversified industry context. However, Sloan Ratio % should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Sloan Ratio % mean?
A high Sloan Ratio % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Sloan ratio measures earnings quality based on the amount of accruals. View historical data on Townsquare Media and its competitors. Townsquare Media's current Sloan Ratio % is -7.48%. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Townsquare Media stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Townsquare Media (TSQ) is currently considered Possible Value Trap. The stock's GF Value™ is $8.50, compared to a current price of $5.83 — trading 31.4% below its estimated fair value. The current Sloan Ratio % is -7.48%. Townsquare Media's overall GF Score™ is 68/100 with 5 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Sloan Ratio % calculated?
Sloan Ratio % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Townsquare Media (TSQ), the current Sloan Ratio % is -7.48% as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Townsquare Media (TSQ) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Townsquare Media stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $5.83 is trading 31.4% below its estimated GF Value™ of $8.50.
GuruFocus considers Townsquare Media to be Possible Value Trap.
Key valuation signals for TSQ:
Sloan Ratio %: -7.48%
GF Value™: $8.50 vs. price of $5.83 (31.4% below fair value)
No single metric tells the full story. See the TSQ stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Townsquare Media Inc is a radio, digital media, entertainment, and digital marketing solutions company principally focused on being the local advertising and marketing solutions platform in small and mid-sized markets across the United States. It has three segments which are Subscription Digital Marketing Solutions, Digital Advertising, and Broadcast Advertising. It earns the majority of the revenue from the Broadcasting Advertising segment, which includes its local, regional, and national advertising products and solutions delivered via terrestrial radio broadcast. Its portfolio includes local media brands such as WYRK.com, WJON.com, and NJ101.5.com, and national music brands such as XXLmag.com, TasteofCountry.com, UltimateClassicRock.com, and Loudwire.com.
68GF Score
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