National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) Stock Rating Cut to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note released on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

NCMI has been the topic of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of National CineMedia from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Wedbush set a $5.00 price objective on shares of National CineMedia and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Barrington Research set a $4.25 price objective on shares of National CineMedia in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. National Bank Financial set a $1.75 target price on shares of National CineMedia in a report on Monday, November 2nd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of National CineMedia from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, National CineMedia presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $4.20.

National CineMedia Stock Performance

NASDAQ:NCMI opened at $1.58 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $2.14 and its 200 day moving average is $3.12. The firm has a market cap of $148.17 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.55 and a beta of 1.75. 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 has a 52-week low of $1.43 and a 52-week high of $4.33.

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

Insider Transactions at National CineMedia

In other National CineMedia news, insider Maria Woods sold 12,189 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.09, for a total value of $25,475.01. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 176,806 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $369,524.54. This represents a 6.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of National CineMedia by 16.0% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,220,165 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $12,237,000 after purchasing an additional 444,984 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in National CineMedia in the 2nd quarter worth $2,653,000. Luxor Capital Group LP raised its position in National CineMedia by 61.3% in the 1st quarter. Luxor Capital Group LP now owns 1,820,737 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,553,000 after purchasing an additional 691,879 shares during the period. Citadel Advisors LLC lifted its stake in National CineMedia by 682.4% in the second quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 278,577 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,059,000 after purchasing an additional 242,970 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zazove Associates LLC lifted its stake in National CineMedia by 78.3% in the first quarter. Zazove Associates LLC now owns 458,939 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,400,000 after purchasing an additional 201,564 shares during the last quarter. 69.49% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About National CineMedia

National CineMedia, Inc (NASDAQ: NCMI) is a media and advertising company focused on cinema-based marketing in the United States. Through its network of movie theaters, the company sells advertising opportunities that allow brands to reach audiences before feature films and throughout the theater environment.

Its primary product is the Noovie pre-show, a branded entertainment and advertising program shown on theater screens before movies. National CineMedia also offers on-screen advertising, lobby and other in-theater placements, digital and experiential campaigns, and related marketing solutions designed to connect advertisers with moviegoers.