National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) Receives $5.38 Average PT from Analysts

National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $5.3750.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at National CineMedia

In other news, EVP Maria Vg Woods sold 9,043 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 129,330 shares in the company, valued at $503,093.70. This trade represents a 6.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.25% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National CineMedia

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NCMI. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in National CineMedia by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 145,233 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $704,000 after acquiring an additional 3,110 shares during the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC raised its stake in National CineMedia by 8.1% in the 4th quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 55,439 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $216,000 after acquiring an additional 4,142 shares during the period. Inscription Capital LLC lifted its holdings in National CineMedia by 32.7% during the fourth quarter. Inscription Capital LLC now owns 17,214 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 4,246 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in National CineMedia by 16.2% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 38,712 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $151,000 after purchasing an additional 5,390 shares during the period. Finally, Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in National CineMedia by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC now owns 124,626 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $485,000 after purchasing an additional 5,440 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.49% of the company’s stock.

National CineMedia Stock Down 2.7%

National CineMedia stock opened at $3.26 on Tuesday. National CineMedia has a fifty-two week low of $3.17 and a fifty-two week high of $6.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 2.22 and a current ratio of 2.22. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $3.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $4.00. The stock has a market cap of $303.65 million, a PE ratio of -32.60 and a beta of 1.36.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The business services provider reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Research analysts predict that National CineMedia will post -0.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National CineMedia Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid a $0.03 dividend. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. National CineMedia’s payout ratio is presently -120.00%.

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.