National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the six brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $5.3750.

NCMI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barrington Research dropped their price objective on shares of National CineMedia from $6.50 to $5.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Wedbush dropped their price objective on shares of National CineMedia from $6.50 to $6.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. B. Riley Financial dropped their price objective on shares of National CineMedia from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of National CineMedia from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th.

Insider Activity at National CineMedia

In other news, EVP Maria Vg Woods sold 12,066 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.04, for a total transaction of $36,680.64. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 143,097 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $435,014.88. This trade represents a 7.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National CineMedia

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in National CineMedia in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Graham Capital Management L.P. acquired a new stake in National CineMedia in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in National CineMedia in the 1st quarter valued at $43,000. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in National CineMedia in the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. Finally, Inscription Capital LLC acquired a new stake in National CineMedia in the 3rd quarter valued at $58,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.49% of the company’s stock.

National CineMedia Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NCMI opened at $3.38 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $315.29 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -33.80 and a beta of 1.43. National CineMedia has a 12 month low of $2.92 and a 12 month high of $5.55. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $3.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $3.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 2.22 and a quick ratio of 2.22.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 12th. The business services provider reported ($0.23) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.25) by $0.02. The business had revenue of $34.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.92 million. National CineMedia had a negative net margin of 4.32% and a negative return on equity of 2.29%. Analysts expect that National CineMedia will post 0.01 EPS for the current year.

National CineMedia Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. National CineMedia’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -120.00%.

National CineMedia News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting National CineMedia this week:

• Positive Sentiment: NCMI reported fiscal Q1 2026 results that beat expectations on both profit and revenue, with EPS of -$0.23 versus the -$0.25 consensus and revenue of $34.0 million versus $32.9 million expected. National CineMedia, Inc. Reports Results for Fiscal First Quarter 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Management said first-quarter results came in within guidance and highlighted ongoing efforts to improve monetization of the theatrical audience, which supports the longer-term turnaround thesis. National CineMedia, Inc. (NCMI) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Shareholders approved all proposals at the annual meeting, removing a bit of governance uncertainty but not materially changing the operating outlook. National CineMedia Shareholders Approve Proposals at Annual Meeting
• Neutral Sentiment: Wedbush cut its price target to $6.00 from $6.50, though it kept an outperform rating, signaling some caution despite continued upside potential. Wedbush price target cut on National CineMedia
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter revenue guidance of $57 million to $63 million straddles the $60.4 million consensus, leaving investors focused on whether advertising demand can accelerate enough to drive a stronger recovery. National CineMedia, Inc. Reports Results for Fiscal First Quarter 2026

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.