Marcus Corporation (The) (NYSE:MCS) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Marcus Corporation (The) (NYSE:MCS) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $23.50.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on MCS shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Marcus in a report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research lowered Marcus from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Benchmark decreased their target price on Marcus from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Barrington Research reduced their target price on Marcus from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marcus

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Marcus by 550.6% during 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 boosted its position in shares of Marcus by 60.2% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 937 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its holdings in shares of Marcus by 656.0% during the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 5,761 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,000 after buying an additional 4,999 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp acquired a new position in Marcus during the third quarter valued at $173,000. Finally, PharVision Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Marcus in the 2nd quarter worth about $180,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.57% of the company’s stock.

Marcus Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of MCS stock opened at $15.10 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $15.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $15.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $463.57 million, a P/E ratio of 62.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.55. Marcus has a fifty-two week low of $12.85 and a fifty-two week high of $22.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

Marcus (NYSE:MCS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by ($0.01). Marcus had a net margin of 1.02% and a return on equity of 1.71%. The business had revenue of $210.15 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $214.14 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Marcus will post 0.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marcus Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 25th were paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 25th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Marcus’s dividend payout ratio is currently 133.33%.

Marcus declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Friday, October 31st that permits the company to repurchase 4,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Marcus Company Profile

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.