Wall Street Zen Downgrades IMAX (NYSE:IMAX) to Buy

IMAX (NYSE:IMAX) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Benchmark boosted their target price on shares of IMAX from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $47.00 price objective on shares of IMAX in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of IMAX from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $22.00 to $34.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of IMAX from $40.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $42.00 price target on shares of IMAX in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.00.

IMAX Stock Up 2.6%

Shares of NYSE:IMAX opened at $42.86 on Friday. IMAX has a 12-month low of $20.48 and a 12-month high of $43.16. The business has a 50 day moving average of $36.44 and a 200-day moving average of $34.10. The stock has a market cap of $2.31 billion, a PE ratio of 69.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.33.

IMAX (NYSE:IMAX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.15. IMAX had a return on equity of 13.53% and a net margin of 8.50%.The business had revenue of $125.21 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $120.30 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.27 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 35.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that IMAX will post 0.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of IMAX by 47.9% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 56,348 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,485,000 after purchasing an additional 18,238 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of IMAX by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 25,486 shares of the company’s stock worth $672,000 after buying an additional 1,091 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in shares of IMAX by 7.9% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 159,714 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,208,000 after buying an additional 11,736 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its stake in IMAX by 513.3% in the second quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 47,108 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,317,000 after buying an additional 39,427 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in IMAX by 0.9% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 267,331 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,475,000 after acquiring an additional 2,343 shares during the last quarter. 93.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting IMAX

Here are the key news stories impacting IMAX this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat and strong growth — IMAX reported $0.58 EPS vs. $0.43 consensus and revenue of $125.2M (up ~35% y/y), driven by blockbuster titles and higher profitability. This is the primary catalyst for the stock move. Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades — JPMorgan raised its price target to $48 and kept an “overweight” rating, signaling meaningful upside; Benchmark also raised its target to $44 and reiterated a “buy”. Analyst bullishness supports further upside sentiment. Analyst Note Benchmark Note
• Positive Sentiment: Strong box-office backdrop and targets — Management outlined a $1.4B global box-office target for 2026 and is expanding premium content and network reach, suggesting recurring upside if tentpoles and slate perform. Box Office Target
• Positive Sentiment: Content wins and programming diversification — Dune 3 secured exclusive IMAX opening-weekend play in select markets (good for premium ticket sales), Studio Ghibli re-releases and live F1 broadcasts broaden non-traditional revenue streams. Dune 3 Article Ghibli Re-release F1 in IMAX
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional support — Rosenblatt reiterated a buy and other boutiques remain constructive; this helps sentiment but is not new fundamental strength. Rosenblatt Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor materials available — The earnings call transcript and slide deck were published for deeper inspection; useful for gauging guidance and margin drivers but not an immediate price catalyst. Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Opening-weekend windowing risk — Major title Avengers: Doomsday will not have an IMAX opening-weekend release in the U.S., which could blunt upside from that particular tentpole and offset some gains from other exclusives. Avengers Windowing

About IMAX

IMAX Corporation is a global leader in immersive entertainment technologies, specializing in the design, manufacture and distribution of high-resolution cameras, projectors, and proprietary software solutions that enhance both film production and theatrical exhibition. The company licenses its premium large-format system to theatre owners and filmmakers around the world, enabling audiences to experience movies with greater clarity, scale and sound fidelity. IMAX also offers turnkey theatre development services, assisting cinema operators with auditorium design, installation and custom branding to optimize the customer experience.

Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, IMAX has built a reputation for pioneering film-format innovations, including its patented dual 15-perforation, 70-millimeter projection system.