National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) Raised to Hold at StockNews.com

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on NCMI. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $8.00 price target on shares of National CineMedia in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Barrington Research decreased their price target on National CineMedia from $8.25 to $7.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $7.50 target price on shares of National CineMedia in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, William Blair reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $7.50 price objective on shares of National CineMedia in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $7.70.

National CineMedia Stock Up 3.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ NCMI opened at $5.53 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $526.51 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -22.12 and a beta of 2.19. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $6.57 and its 200 day moving average is $6.77. The company has a quick ratio of 2.46, a current ratio of 2.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. National CineMedia has a 52 week low of $3.87 and a 52 week high of $7.60.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) last announced 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 company had revenue of $86.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 research analysts expect that National CineMedia will post -0.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at National CineMedia

In other news, major shareholder Blantyre Capital Ltd bought 103,685 shares of National CineMedia stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $5.18 per share, with a total value of $537,088.30. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now owns 10,310,433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $53,408,042.94. This trade represents a 1.02 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Maria Vg Woods sold 23,742 shares of National CineMedia stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.51, for a total value of $154,560.42. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 66,987 shares in the company, valued at approximately $436,085.37. The trade was a 26.17 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National CineMedia

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of National CineMedia during the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets bought a new stake in National CineMedia during the 4th quarter valued at $57,000. DRW Securities LLC purchased a new position in National CineMedia in the fourth quarter valued at about $73,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of National CineMedia in the 4th quarter worth approximately $91,000. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of National CineMedia during the fourth quarter worth $93,000. 69.49% of the stock is owned by 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.