Marcus Corporation (The) (NYSE:MCS) Stock Now Rated “Moderate Buy” by Sell-Side Brokerages

Shares of Marcus Corporation (The) (NYSE:MCS) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $32.25.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Benchmark upped their target price on Marcus from $22.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Marcus from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Marcus from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Barrington Research set a $33.00 target price on shares of Marcus in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Wedbush lifted their target price on shares of Marcus from $23.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st.

Marcus Price Performance

NYSE MCS opened at $26.41 on Wednesday. Marcus has a 1 year low of $12.85 and a 1 year high of $32.42. The business’s fifty day moving average is $28.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $814.18 million, a P/E ratio of 37.19 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.44.

Marcus (NYSE:MCS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $231.74 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $217.72 million. Marcus had a return on equity of 2.67% and a net margin of 2.87%. On average, research analysts forecast that Marcus will post 0.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marcus Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th were given a dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 25th. This is a positive change from Marcus’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. Marcus’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.70%.

Insider Transactions at Marcus

In other news, Director Diane M. Gershowitz sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.61, for a total value of $1,380,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 125,617 shares in the company, valued at $3,468,285.37. This represents a 28.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 16.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Saber Capital Managment LLC acquired a new stake in Marcus during the 4th quarter worth about $7,836,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in Marcus during the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,481,000. Heartland Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marcus by 24.4% in the 1st quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 255,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,378,000 after purchasing an additional 50,000 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marcus by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 181,793 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,121,000 after purchasing an additional 5,023 shares during the period. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of Marcus by 8.5% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 102,006 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,751,000 after purchasing an additional 8,024 shares in the last quarter. 81.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marcus Company Profile

Marcus Corporation (NYSE:MCS) is a Wisconsin-based company operating in the entertainment and lodging industries. Its business is organized primarily through Marcus Theatres and Marcus Hotels & Resorts, serving customers across selected markets in the United States.

Marcus Theatres operates movie theaters that offer first-run films, premium large-format and other enhanced viewing experiences, food and beverage services, and other entertainment amenities. The division also operates theaters under the Marcus, Movie Tavern, and BistroPlex brands.

Marcus Hotels & Resorts owns, manages, or develops hotels and resorts in various U.S.