National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Shares of National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the five ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $7.20.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on NCMI shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of National CineMedia from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. B. Riley lowered shares of National CineMedia from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $6.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, May 16th. William Blair restated a "neutral" rating and set a $7.50 price target on shares of National CineMedia in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and set a $7.00 price target on shares of National CineMedia in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and set a $8.00 price target on shares of National CineMedia in a research report on Friday, March 7th.

National CineMedia Stock Performance

National CineMedia stock traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $4.90. The company's stock had a trading volume of 707,373 shares, compared to its average volume of 636,180. National CineMedia has a 12-month low of $4.12 and a 12-month high of $7.60. The company has a market capitalization of $462.09 million, a P/E ratio of -19.60 and a beta of 2.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 2.46 and a current ratio of 2.46. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $5.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $6.29.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The business services provider reported ($0.24) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.20) by ($0.04). National CineMedia had a negative net margin of 9.49% and a negative return on equity of 2.61%. The business had revenue of $34.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $35.13 million. Sell-side analysts predict that National CineMedia will post -0.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National CineMedia Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.45%. National CineMedia's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -63.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Blantyre Capital Ltd bought 300,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $5.12 per share, for a total transaction of $1,536,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 10,250,721 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $52,483,691.52. The trade was a 3.01% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in National CineMedia by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 107,069 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $711,000 after acquiring an additional 3,219 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in National CineMedia by 39.7% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 43,210 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $287,000 after purchasing an additional 12,281 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in National CineMedia by 375.7% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 127,500 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $847,000 after purchasing an additional 100,700 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in National CineMedia by 18.0% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 26,749 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $178,000 after purchasing an additional 4,084 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in National CineMedia by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 728,915 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $4,840,000 after purchasing an additional 7,218 shares during the last quarter. 69.49% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About National CineMedia

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.