American Century Companies Inc. Purchases 108,334 Shares of Marcus Corporation (The) $MCS

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Marcus Corporation by 14.7%, owning about 2.66% of the company's shares worth approximately $14.1 million.
• Marcus Corporation announced a dividend of $0.08 per share, up from the previous $0.07, reflecting a 2.1% yield and a payout ratio of 62.22%.
• Wall Street analysts have set a consensus target price of $24.50 for Marcus shares, with ratings including one Strong Buy and three Buy ratings.

American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marcus Corporation (The) (NYSE:MCS - Free Report) by 14.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 844,953 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 108,334 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned 2.66% of Marcus worth $14,102,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Marcus by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 64,448 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,386,000 after purchasing an additional 511 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Marcus by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,481,190 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,845,000 after buying an additional 24,325 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD purchased a new stake in shares of Marcus in the fourth quarter valued at about $234,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Marcus in the 4th quarter worth approximately $70,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marcus by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 303,022 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,515,000 after buying an additional 7,981 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.57% of the company's stock.

Marcus Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE MCS traded up $0.14 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $15.46. 201,995 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 207,146. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $16.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market cap of $484.05 million, a P/E ratio of 34.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.24. Marcus Corporation has a 12-month low of $13.94 and a 12-month high of $23.16.

Marcus (NYSE:MCS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, August 1st. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.19 by $0.04. Marcus had a return on equity of 4.28% and a net margin of 1.91%.The firm had revenue of $206.04 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $192.79 million. As a group, analysts expect that Marcus Corporation will post 0.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Marcus Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This is an increase from Marcus's previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 25th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Marcus's dividend payout ratio is 71.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Wedbush began coverage on Marcus in a report on Friday, July 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $24.00 price target on the stock. B. Riley assumed coverage on Marcus in a research note on Friday, May 16th. They set a "buy" rating and a $24.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered Marcus from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $25.00 target price on shares of Marcus in a report on Monday, August 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have issued a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marcus presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $24.50.

Marcus Company Profile

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.