National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $5.3750.

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Benchmark lowered their price target on National CineMedia from $7.00 to $6.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Zacks Research upgraded National CineMedia from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings raised National CineMedia from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. B. Riley Financial lowered their target price on National CineMedia from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Barrington Research dropped their target price on National CineMedia from $6.50 to $5.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 26th.

National CineMedia Trading Up 3.0%

Shares of NCMI stock opened at $3.39 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. National CineMedia has a fifty-two week low of $3.17 and a fifty-two week high of $6.18. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $3.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $4.01. The stock has a market cap of $315.76 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -33.90 and a beta of 1.36.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The business services provider reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.03. National CineMedia had a negative net margin of 4.32% and a negative return on equity of 2.29%. On average, analysts anticipate that National CineMedia will post -0.12 EPS for the current year.

National CineMedia Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.03 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. National CineMedia’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -120.00%.

Insider Activity at National CineMedia

In other news, EVP Maria Vg Woods sold 9,043 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.89, for a total transaction of $35,177.27. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 129,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $503,093.70. The trade was a 6.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National CineMedia

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NCMI. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in National CineMedia in the 1st quarter worth $43,000. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of National CineMedia during the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Graham Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of National CineMedia during the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of National CineMedia by 103.2% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 12,895 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 6,549 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inscription Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of National CineMedia in the third quarter worth about $58,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.49% of the company’s stock.

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.