Marcus (NYSE:MCS) Stock Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Marcus Corporation (The) (NYSE:MCS)’s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $15.47 and traded as high as $16.16. Marcus shares last traded at $15.94, with a volume of 200,032 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on MCS shares. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $25.00 target price on shares of Marcus in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Benchmark reduced their price objective on shares of Marcus from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Marcus in a report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $23.75.

Marcus Trading Down 0.9%

The company’s fifty day moving average is $15.51 and its 200-day moving average is $15.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $484.82 million, a P/E ratio of 65.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.55.

Marcus (NYSE:MCS) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $210.15 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $214.14 million. Marcus had a return on equity of 1.71% and a net margin of 1.02%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marcus Corporation will post 0.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marcus Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 25th were issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 25th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Marcus’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 133.33%.

Marcus declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Friday, October 31st that allows the company to repurchase 4,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marcus

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MCS. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in Marcus by 550.6% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,264 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,916 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in Marcus by 60.2% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 937 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marcus by 45.3% during the 2nd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 6,599 shares of the company’s stock worth $111,000 after purchasing an additional 2,057 shares during the period. PharVision Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marcus during the second quarter valued at about $180,000. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new stake in shares of Marcus in the third quarter valued at about $173,000. 81.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marcus Company Profile

The Marcus Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates movie theatres, and hotels and resorts in the United States. It operates a family entertainment center and multiscreen motion picture theatres under the Big Screen Bistro, Big Screen Bistro Express, BistroPlex, and Movie Tavern by Marcus brand names. The company also owns and operates full-service hotels and resorts, as well as manages full-service hotels, resorts, and other properties. In addition, it provides hospitality management services, including check-in, housekeeping, and maintenance for a vacation ownership development; and manages condominium hotels under long-term management contracts.