Marcus (NYSE:MCS) Hits New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Marcus Corporation (The) (NYSE:MCS) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $20.55 and last traded at $20.53, with a volume of 45435 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $20.11.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MCS has been the topic of several research reports. Wedbush upped their price objective on shares of Marcus from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Marcus from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. B. Riley Financial reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Marcus in a report on Friday, April 17th. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $25.00 price objective on shares of Marcus in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Marcus from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $23.33.

Marcus Stock Up 2.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.35. The company has a market cap of $631.81 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.55. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $18.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.67.

Marcus (NYSE:MCS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($0.51) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.54) by $0.03. Marcus had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 0.79%. The company had revenue of $154.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $148.78 million. Sell-side analysts predict that Marcus Corporation will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marcus Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st will be issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. Marcus’s dividend payout ratio is currently 74.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marcus

In related news, insider Michael Reade Evans sold 7,671 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.04, for a total value of $146,055.84. Following the sale, the insider owned 45,801 shares in the company, valued at $872,051.04. This represents a 14.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 16.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marcus

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCS. Navalign LLC bought a new stake in Marcus in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Marcus by 550.6% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,264 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,916 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in Marcus by 60.2% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 937 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its position in Marcus by 656.0% in the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 5,761 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 4,999 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Marcus by 67.6% in the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,109 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,000 after purchasing an additional 4,076 shares in the last quarter. 81.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Marcus

The Marcus Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates movie theatres, and hotels and resorts in the United States. It operates a family entertainment center and multiscreen motion picture theatres under the Big Screen Bistro, Big Screen Bistro Express, BistroPlex, and Movie Tavern by Marcus brand names. The company also owns and operates full-service hotels and resorts, as well as manages full-service hotels, resorts, and other properties. In addition, it provides hospitality management services, including check-in, housekeeping, and maintenance for a vacation ownership development; and manages condominium hotels under long-term management contracts.