National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst consensus is “Hold”: Six firms covering National CineMedia include three buys, two holds and one sell, with an average 12-month price target of $4.8125.
• Recent results fell short of expectations: The company reported a quarterly loss of $0.10 per share versus the $0.09 consensus loss and revenue of $58.4 million, below the $59.34 million estimate.
• Shares opened at $2.48, near the lower end of their 52-week range of $2.16 to $5.03. Institutional investors own 69.49% of the stock, while an insider recently sold 12,058 shares.

National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Hold" by the six research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $4.8125.

NCMI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wedbush set a $5.00 price objective on shares of National CineMedia and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Barrington Research set a $4.25 price target on shares of National CineMedia in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of National CineMedia from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday. Zacks Research downgraded National CineMedia from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded National CineMedia from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Maria Woods sold 12,058 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.77, for a total transaction of $45,458.66. Following the sale, the insider owned 163,162 shares in the company, valued at approximately $615,120.74. This represents a 6.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National CineMedia

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Citadel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in National CineMedia by 682.4% in the second quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 278,577 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,059,000 after buying an additional 242,970 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in National CineMedia by 16.0% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,220,165 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $12,237,000 after acquiring an additional 444,984 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of National CineMedia during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,653,000. Zazove Associates LLC raised its position in shares of National CineMedia by 78.3% during the 1st quarter. Zazove Associates LLC now owns 458,939 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,400,000 after acquiring an additional 201,564 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of National CineMedia in the 1st quarter valued at $44,000. Institutional investors own 69.49% of the company's stock.

National CineMedia Price Performance

National CineMedia stock opened at $2.48 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 1.84 and a quick ratio of 1.84. National CineMedia has a fifty-two week low of $2.16 and a fifty-two week high of $5.03. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $3.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $3.39. The firm has a market cap of $232.57 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -27.55 and a beta of 1.37.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 11th. The business services provider reported ($0.10) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.09) by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $58.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $59.34 million. National CineMedia had a negative return on equity of 1.31% and a negative net margin of 3.05%. As a group, analysts forecast that National CineMedia will post 0.17 earnings per share for the current year.

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.

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