Marcus (NYSE:MCS) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Marcus (NYSE:MCS) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on MCS. Weiss Ratings upgraded Marcus from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Zacks Research downgraded Marcus from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. B. Riley Financial downgraded Marcus from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $27.00 to $29.00 in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Barrington Research set a $33.00 target price on Marcus in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Benchmark increased their target price on Marcus from $22.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.25.

Marcus Price Performance

MCS opened at $28.64 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $28.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.89. Marcus has a fifty-two week low of $12.88 and a fifty-two week high of $32.42. The firm has a market cap of $882.97 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.34 and a beta of 0.58.

Marcus (NYSE:MCS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $231.74 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $217.72 million. Marcus had a return on equity of 2.67% and a net margin of 2.87%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Marcus will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marcus

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in shares of Marcus in the 3rd quarter worth $50,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Marcus during the second quarter worth $290,000. Susquehanna International Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Marcus by 183.1% during the second quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP now owns 47,094 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,105,000 after purchasing an additional 30,457 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marcus during the first quarter valued at $844,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in shares of Marcus by 49.2% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 60,497 shares of the company’s stock valued at $935,000 after purchasing an additional 19,947 shares during the period. 81.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.