National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Thursday.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $8.00 price objective on shares of National CineMedia in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Barrington Research raised their price target on National CineMedia from $7.50 to $8.25 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $7.50 price objective (up previously from $6.00) on shares of National CineMedia in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, National CineMedia currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $8.06.

National CineMedia Price Performance

National CineMedia stock traded down $0.19 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $6.23. 602,578 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 499,174. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $6.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $6.41. National CineMedia has a 1 year low of $3.65 and a 1 year high of $7.60. The company has a market capitalization of $591.32 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -24.92 and a beta of 2.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 2.46 and a current ratio of 2.46.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The business services provider reported ($0.04) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.03) by ($0.01). National CineMedia had a negative return on equity of 2.61% and a negative net margin of 9.49%. The firm had revenue of $62.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $58.20 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.33 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that National CineMedia will post -0.14 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Maria Vg Woods sold 23,742 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.51, for a total transaction of $154,560.42. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 66,987 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $436,085.37. This represents a 26.17 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National CineMedia

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of National CineMedia during the 4th quarter valued at about $408,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of National CineMedia by 0.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,961,963 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $13,835,000 after purchasing an additional 15,605 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its position in shares of National CineMedia by 98.0% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 153,492 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,082,000 after purchasing an additional 75,978 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of National CineMedia by 23.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,157,488 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,160,000 after purchasing an additional 222,498 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of National CineMedia by 5.6% in the third quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 6,936,947 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $48,905,000 after purchasing an additional 365,360 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.49% of the company’s stock.

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.