Wedbush Predicts Weaker Earnings for National CineMedia

National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) – Research analysts at Wedbush reduced their Q2 2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of National CineMedia in a report released on Monday, August 4th. Wedbush analyst A. Reese now anticipates that the business services provider will post earnings per share of ($0.12) for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of ($0.09). Wedbush currently has a “Outperform” rating and a $7.00 target price on the stock. The consensus estimate for National CineMedia’s current full-year earnings is ($0.12) per share. Wedbush also issued estimates for National CineMedia’s FY2025 earnings at ($0.06) EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at ($0.06) EPS and Q3 2026 earnings at $0.03 EPS.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The business services provider reported ($0.11) earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of ($0.11). The company had revenue of $51.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $59.45 million. National CineMedia had a negative return on equity of 3.42% and a negative net margin of 8.62%.

NCMI has been the subject of several other research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of National CineMedia from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Benchmark dropped their price target on National CineMedia from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, B. Riley cut National CineMedia from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $6.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, May 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, National CineMedia presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $6.90.

National CineMedia Stock Performance

Shares of National CineMedia stock opened at $4.69 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $442.27 million, a P/E ratio of -22.33 and a beta of 2.14. The company has a fifty day moving average of $4.99 and a 200 day moving average of $5.68. National CineMedia has a fifty-two week low of $4.12 and a fifty-two week high of $7.60.

National CineMedia Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $0.03 dividend. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. National CineMedia’s dividend payout ratio is -63.16%.

Insider Activity at National CineMedia

In related news, EVP Maria Vg Woods sold 9,038 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.82, for a total transaction of $43,563.16. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 111,246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $536,205.72. This trade represents a 7.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National CineMedia

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in National CineMedia by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,358,287 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $25,452,000 after purchasing an additional 232,702 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in National CineMedia by 21.1% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,538,933 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $20,667,000 after buying an additional 615,417 shares during the period. Sycale Advisors NY LLC acquired a new position in National CineMedia during the fourth quarter worth $14,147,000. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in National CineMedia during the fourth quarter worth about $4,546,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in National CineMedia by 21.3% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 683,614 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,992,000 after buying an additional 120,079 shares in the last quarter. 69.49% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

National CineMedia Company Profile

National CineMedia, Inc, through its subsidiary, National CineMedia, LLC, operates cinema advertising network in North America. It engages in the sale of advertising to national, regional, and local businesses in Noovie, a cinema advertising and entertainment show seen on movie screens; and sells advertising on its Lobby Entertainment Network, a series of strategically-placed screens located in movie theater lobbies, as well as other forms of advertising and promotions in theatre lobbies.