Wedbush Research Analysts Reduce Earnings Estimates for NCMI

National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) – Equities researchers at Wedbush lowered their Q4 2025 earnings estimates for shares of National CineMedia in a report issued on Friday, October 31st. Wedbush analyst A. Reese now forecasts that the business services provider will post earnings per share of $0.29 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.36. Wedbush has a “Outperform” rating and a $6.00 price target 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 Q3 2026 earnings at $0.03 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.31 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $0.07 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $0.13 EPS.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The business services provider reported $0.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.03) by $0.05. The company had revenue of $63.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $64.23 million. National CineMedia had a negative return on equity of 3.51% and a negative net margin of 8.62%. National CineMedia has set its Q4 2025 guidance at EPS.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the company. Barrington Research lowered their price target on National CineMedia from $7.00 to $6.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Zacks Research lowered shares of National CineMedia from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of National CineMedia in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, National CineMedia presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $6.60.

National CineMedia Price Performance

NCMI opened at $4.42 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $4.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $4.85. The stock has a market cap of $414.23 million, a P/E ratio of -21.05 and a beta of 1.90. National CineMedia has a 12 month low of $4.03 and a 12 month high of $7.60.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National CineMedia

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased 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 worth $25,452,000 after purchasing an additional 232,702 shares in the last quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd acquired a new position in shares of National CineMedia in the second quarter worth about $20,338,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of National CineMedia by 21.1% in 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 acquiring an additional 615,417 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of National CineMedia by 21.3% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 683,614 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,992,000 after acquiring an additional 120,079 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of National CineMedia by 59.8% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 488,025 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,850,000 after acquiring an additional 182,548 shares during the period. 69.49% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at National CineMedia

In other news, EVP Maria Vg Woods sold 9,039 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.44, for a total transaction of $40,133.16. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 118,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $528,351.12. This trade represents a 7.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

National CineMedia Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th will be issued a $0.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 10th. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. National CineMedia’s dividend payout ratio is currently -80.00%.

About National CineMedia

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.