National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) EVP Sells 12,066 Shares

Key Points

• EVP Maria Vg Woods sold 12,066 shares on April 1 at an average price of $3.04, a $36,680.64 transaction that reduced her stake by 7.78% to 143,097 shares (≈$435,015); the sale was disclosed in an SEC filing.
• Shares traded down to $3.00 (down 0.7%) on above-average volume (658,316 vs. 423,800), with a 52-week range of $2.92–$6.18; the company has a market cap of $279.8M, negative net margin and ROE, though it beat EPS estimates last quarter.
• National CineMedia pays a quarterly dividend of $0.03 (annualized yield ~4.0%) despite a negative payout ratio (-120%), and analysts hold a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $5.38; institutional investors own about 69.5% of the shares.

National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI - Get Free Report) EVP Maria Vg Woods sold 12,066 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.04, for a total transaction of $36,680.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 143,097 shares in the company, valued at approximately $435,014.88. The trade was a 7.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

National CineMedia Trading Down 0.7%

NCMI traded down $0.02 on Thursday, reaching $3.00. 658,316 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 423,800. National CineMedia, Inc. has a one year low of $2.92 and a one year high of $6.18. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $3.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3.90. The company has a market cap of $279.84 million, a P/E ratio of -30.00 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a quick ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The business services provider reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.03. National CineMedia had a negative net margin of 4.32% and a negative return on equity of 2.29%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that National CineMedia, Inc. will post -0.12 earnings per share for the current year.

National CineMedia Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 9th were issued a dividend of $0.03 per share. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 9th. National CineMedia's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -120.00%.

Institutional Trading of National CineMedia

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of National CineMedia by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 145,233 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $704,000 after acquiring an additional 3,110 shares during the period. EntryPoint Capital LLC raised its position in shares of National CineMedia by 8.1% in the 4th quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 55,439 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $216,000 after acquiring an additional 4,142 shares in the last quarter. Inscription Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of National CineMedia by 32.7% during the 4th quarter. Inscription Capital LLC now owns 17,214 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 4,246 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in shares of National CineMedia by 16.2% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 38,712 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $151,000 after purchasing an additional 5,390 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in National CineMedia by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC now owns 124,626 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $485,000 after purchasing an additional 5,440 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.49% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on NCMI. Barrington Research lowered their target price on National CineMedia from $6.50 to $5.50 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings upgraded National CineMedia from a "sell (d-)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Zacks Research upgraded National CineMedia from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Benchmark dropped their target price on shares of National CineMedia from $7.00 to $6.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, B. Riley Financial cut their target price on shares of National CineMedia from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $5.38.

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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