Marcus (NYSE:MCS) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Marcus (NYSE:MCS) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on MCS. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $24.00 price target on shares of Marcus in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Marcus in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $23.50.

Marcus Stock Up 1.2%

Marcus stock opened at $17.02 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.40. Marcus has a one year low of $12.85 and a one year high of $18.80. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $15.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $522.63 million, a P/E ratio of 42.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.57.

Marcus (NYSE:MCS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported ($0.06) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.07 by ($0.13). The firm had revenue of $193.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $185.19 million. Marcus had a net margin of 1.67% and a return on equity of 0.46%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Marcus will post 0.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Marcus Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 25th were given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 25th. Marcus’s dividend payout ratio is currently 80.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marcus news, VP Thomas F. Kissinger sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.32, for a total transaction of $433,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 199,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,458,804. This trade represents a 11.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 5.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Navalign LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marcus during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in Marcus by 550.6% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,264 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,916 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake in Marcus by 60.2% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 937 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its stake in Marcus by 656.0% during the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 5,761 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,000 after purchasing an additional 4,999 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Marcus by 67.6% during the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,109 shares of the company’s stock valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 4,076 shares during the period. 81.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Marcus

The Marcus Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates movie theatres, and hotels and resorts in the United States. It operates a family entertainment center and multiscreen motion picture theatres under the Big Screen Bistro, Big Screen Bistro Express, BistroPlex, and Movie Tavern by Marcus brand names. The company also owns and operates full-service hotels and resorts, as well as manages full-service hotels, resorts, and other properties. In addition, it provides hospitality management services, including check-in, housekeeping, and maintenance for a vacation ownership development; and manages condominium hotels under long-term management contracts.