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

National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the six research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $5.3750.

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded National CineMedia from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, June 6th. Weiss Ratings lowered National CineMedia from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Wedbush cut their target price on National CineMedia from $6.50 to $6.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th.

National CineMedia Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NASDAQ NCMI opened at $3.81 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 1.82 and a current ratio of 1.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $357.30 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -42.33 and a beta of 1.40. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $3.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $3.51. National CineMedia has a 52-week low of $2.78 and a 52-week high of $5.14.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 12th. The business services provider reported ($0.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $34.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.92 million. National CineMedia had a negative return on equity of 1.80% and a negative net margin of 3.47%.

National CineMedia Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were given a dividend of $0.03 per share. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 22nd. National CineMedia’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -133.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other National CineMedia news, EVP Maria Vg Woods sold 12,066 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.04, for a total transaction of $36,680.64. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 143,097 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $435,014.88. This trade represents a 7.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National CineMedia

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NCMI. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd boosted its holdings in National CineMedia by 79.5% in the 4th quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 9,523,889 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $37,048,000 after buying an additional 4,218,288 shares during the last quarter. Lunate Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in National CineMedia in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,740,000. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in National CineMedia by 34.2% in the 3rd quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 6,151,313 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,742,000 after buying an additional 1,568,376 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in National CineMedia by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,519,377 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $20,382,000 after buying an additional 12,172 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in National CineMedia by 30.1% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,003,352 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $7,793,000 after buying an additional 463,112 shares during the last quarter. 69.49% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.