First Eagle Investment Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in National CineMedia, Inc. $NCMI

First Eagle Investment Management LLC cut its position in National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) by 23.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,260,322 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 384,125 shares during the quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC owned 1.34% of National CineMedia worth $5,684,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in National CineMedia by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,519,377 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $20,382,000 after acquiring an additional 12,172 shares during the period. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of National CineMedia during the second quarter worth about $20,338,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of National CineMedia by 21.3% in 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 purchasing an additional 120,079 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of National CineMedia by 59.8% in 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 purchasing an additional 182,548 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its holdings in shares of National CineMedia by 217.0% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 280,509 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,359,000 after purchasing an additional 192,031 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.49% of the company’s stock.

National CineMedia Price Performance

National CineMedia stock opened at $3.56 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $3.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $4.07. The stock has a market cap of $331.58 million, a P/E ratio of -35.60 and a beta of 1.36. National CineMedia, Inc. has a 12-month low of $3.17 and a 12-month high of $6.39.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The business services provider reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.03. National CineMedia had a negative return on equity of 2.29% and a negative net margin of 4.32%. Equities analysts expect that National CineMedia, Inc. will post -0.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National CineMedia Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.03 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. National CineMedia’s payout ratio is presently -120.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of National CineMedia from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, November 9th. Barrington Research cut their price objective on National CineMedia from $6.50 to $5.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Benchmark decreased their target price on National CineMedia from $7.00 to $6.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. B. Riley Financial lowered their target price on National CineMedia from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded National CineMedia from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, National CineMedia has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $5.80.

Insider Transactions at National CineMedia

In related news, EVP Maria Vg Woods sold 9,043 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.89, for a total value of $35,177.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 129,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $503,093.70. This represents a 6.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About National CineMedia

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.