Marcus Corporation (The) (NYSE:MCS) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: Six firms rate Marcus as a "Moderate Buy" (2 holds, 3 buys, 1 strong buy) with an average 12‑month target price of $23.50.
• Insider & institutional activity: VP Thomas F. Kissinger sold 25,000 shares at $17.32 (an ~11.13% cut to his stake); insiders own 5.00% while institutional investors hold about 81.57% with several funds recently adding positions.
• Recent results & payout: Marcus missed EPS at ($0.06) vs $0.07 expected but posted revenue of $193.5M (above estimates); the stock trades near $18.44 with a market cap of ~$566M and the company pays a $0.08 quarterly dividend (≈1.7% yield).

Shares of Marcus Corporation (The) (NYSE:MCS - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the six research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $23.50.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MCS. Zacks Research raised Marcus from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Marcus in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $24.00 target price on shares of Marcus in a report on Monday, March 2nd.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Thomas F. Kissinger sold 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.32, for a total value of $433,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 199,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,458,804. This represents a 11.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 5.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marcus

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MCS. Saber Capital Managment LLC bought a new position in shares of Marcus in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,836,000. Bastion Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marcus in the third quarter valued at approximately $3,395,000. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Marcus during the fourth quarter valued at $2,594,000. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd grew its holdings in Marcus by 7.9% during the fourth quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 1,915,765 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,714,000 after purchasing an additional 141,064 shares during the period. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its holdings in Marcus by 332.2% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 162,193 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,735,000 after purchasing an additional 124,664 shares during the period. 81.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marcus Stock Performance

Shares of Marcus stock opened at $18.44 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $566.32 million, a PE ratio of 46.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.55. Marcus has a 52 week low of $12.85 and a 52 week high of $18.80. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $16.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

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

Marcus Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th were issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 25th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Marcus's dividend payout ratio is currently 80.00%.

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.

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