Marshall Wace LLP Increases Holdings in National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI)

Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI - Free Report) by 29.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 402,909 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 91,488 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned about 0.42% of National CineMedia worth $2,675,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Walleye Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of National CineMedia in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $116,000. Ranger Investment Management L.P. bought a new stake in National CineMedia during the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,058,000. DRW Securities LLC acquired a new position in National CineMedia in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $73,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in shares of National CineMedia by 375.7% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 127,500 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $847,000 after acquiring an additional 100,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its holdings in shares of National CineMedia by 25.8% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 40,931 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $272,000 after purchasing an additional 8,390 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.49% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. William Blair restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $7.50 price objective on shares of National CineMedia in a report on Friday, March 7th. Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $7.00 price target on shares of National CineMedia in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $8.00 price objective on shares of National CineMedia in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $7.50 target price on shares of National CineMedia in a research report on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of National CineMedia from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $7.70.

National CineMedia Stock Up 0.2 %

NASDAQ:NCMI traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $5.66. The company had a trading volume of 203,323 shares, compared to its average volume of 618,693. National CineMedia, Inc. has a twelve month low of $4.12 and a twelve month high of $7.60. The company has a quick ratio of 2.46, a current ratio of 2.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The firm has a market cap of $538.79 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -22.66 and a beta of 1.92. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $5.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $6.51.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The business services provider reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $86.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $84.77 million. National CineMedia had a negative return on equity of 2.61% and a negative net margin of 9.49%. On average, equities analysts expect that National CineMedia, Inc. will post -0.12 earnings per share for the current year.

National CineMedia Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a -- dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 24th were given a $0.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 24th. National CineMedia's payout ratio is currently -52.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at National CineMedia

In other National CineMedia news, major shareholder Blantyre Capital Ltd bought 103,685 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $5.18 per share, with a total value of $537,088.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 10,310,433 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,408,042.94. The trade was a 1.02 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

National CineMedia Company Profile

National CineMedia, Inc, through its subsidiary, National CineMedia, LLC, operates cinema advertising network in North America. It engages in the sale of advertising to national, regional, and local businesses in Noovie, a cinema advertising and entertainment show seen on movie screens; and sells advertising on its Lobby Entertainment Network, a series of strategically-placed screens located in movie theater lobbies, as well as other forms of advertising and promotions in theatre lobbies.