National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $4.8125.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Barrington Research set a $4.25 price target on National CineMedia in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of National CineMedia from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday. Wedbush set a $5.00 price objective on shares of National CineMedia and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of National CineMedia from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of National CineMedia from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th.

National CineMedia Stock Performance

NCMI opened at $2.48 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $3.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $3.39. The firm has a market cap of $232.57 million, a PE ratio of -27.55 and a beta of 1.37. National CineMedia has a twelve month low of $2.16 and a twelve month high of $5.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 1.84 and a current ratio of 1.84.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 11th. The business services provider reported ($0.10) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.09) by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $58.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $59.34 million. National CineMedia had a negative return on equity of 1.31% and a negative net margin of 3.05%. Equities research analysts anticipate that National CineMedia will post 0.17 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at National CineMedia

In other news, insider Maria Woods sold 12,058 shares of National CineMedia stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.77, for a total value of $45,458.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 163,162 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $615,120.74. This trade represents a 6.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National CineMedia

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of NCMI. Luxor Capital Group LP lifted its holdings in shares of National CineMedia by 61.3% during the first quarter. Luxor Capital Group LP now owns 1,820,737 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,553,000 after buying an additional 691,879 shares in the last quarter. Zazove Associates LLC grew its stake in shares of National CineMedia by 78.3% in the first quarter. Zazove Associates LLC now owns 458,939 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,400,000 after acquiring an additional 201,564 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in National CineMedia during the second quarter worth about $2,653,000. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in National CineMedia by 38.7% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 74,983 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $229,000 after acquiring an additional 20,928 shares during the period. Finally, Citadel Advisors LLC increased its position in National CineMedia by 682.4% during the second quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 278,577 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,059,000 after acquiring an additional 242,970 shares during the period. 69.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

National CineMedia Company Profile

National CineMedia, Inc is a leading U.S. out-of-home media company specializing in cinema advertising. The firm operates a proprietary network that delivers high-impact advertising content to moviegoers across a broad footprint of theaters, offering brands a targeted and immersive way to engage audiences in a captive, distraction-free environment.

Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Centennial, Colorado, National CineMedia began as a joint venture among several major exhibition chains.