Marcus (NYSE:MCS) Issues Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.13 EPS

Marcus (NYSE:MCS) released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported ($0.06) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.07 by ($0.13), Zacks reports. The firm had revenue of $193.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $185.19 million. Marcus had a net margin of 1.02% and a return on equity of 1.71%.

Here are the key takeaways from Marcus’ conference call:

• Consolidated Q4 revenue was $193.5M (+2.8%) with Adjusted EBITDA of $26.8M (+3.6%), but operating income was reduced by a $5.2M non?cash theater impairment and full?year Adjusted EBITDA declined 3.1% to $99.3M; an ~$7.6M historic tax credit boosted EPS but is excluded from Adjusted EBITDA.
• Theatres outperformed the U.S. box office by ~7.6 percentage points in Q4, driven by a favorable family film mix, a 12.7% increase in average ticket price and +7.2% concession per?cap growth, while rollout of digital and point?of?sale initiatives (new queuing, QR ordering, revamped app/site) targets further per?cap gains.
• Hotels delivered a record revenue and Adjusted EBITDA year — Q4 RevPAR rose 3.5% and ADR grew 5.6% as renovated properties captured higher leisure demand and outperformed competitive sets by ~2.7–5.5 percentage points.
• Balance sheet and capital allocation are conservative with >$230M liquidity, 26% debt?to?capital and 1.5x net leverage; management expects 2026 capex to step down to $50–55M, boosting free cash flow for opportunistic M&A and continued dividends/share repurchases.

Marcus Price Performance

MCS traded up $0.44 on Friday, reaching $16.86. 228,195 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 157,326. Marcus has a twelve month low of $12.85 and a twelve month high of $18.80. The stock has a market cap of $517.74 million, a PE ratio of 70.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $15.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $15.26.

Marcus Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 25th. Marcus’s dividend payout ratio is 133.33%.

Marcus declared that its board has authorized 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 usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MCS shares. Zacks Research lowered Marcus from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Barrington Research cut their price objective on Marcus from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Marcus in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $23.50.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Marcus by 4.7% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 13,849 shares of the company’s stock valued at $231,000 after purchasing an additional 624 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Marcus by 11.1% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 392,634 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,553,000 after buying an additional 39,118 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Marcus by 2.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 172,745 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,883,000 after buying an additional 3,562 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning lifted its stake in Marcus by 50.6% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 15,270 shares of the company’s stock worth $257,000 after acquiring an additional 5,129 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in Marcus by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 291,082 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,908,000 after acquiring an additional 8,898 shares during the period. 81.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marcus News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Marcus this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue beat and box-office momentum — Marcus reported Q4 revenue above Street estimates and said Marcus Theatres led the industry in box office growth driven by price-optimization and a favorable film slate, supporting near-term top-line momentum. Marcus Corp (MCS) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Hotels division strength — Management said Marcus Hotels & Resorts delivered strong Q4 results and capped a record year for the division, which helps diversify revenue and cash generation beyond theatres. Marcus Corporation Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year Fiscal 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Disciplined 2026 capex plan — The company outlined a $50M–$55M capex plan for 2026 focused on strategic investments and maximizing free cash flow, which signals capital discipline and may reassure income-focused investors. Marcus Corporation outlines $50M–$55M capital spending plan for 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings call available — Management commentary and transcript provide more color on pricing, film mix, and cost trends; useful for investors digging into guidance and margin drivers. Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: EPS miss and weak profitability — The company reported a loss of $0.06/sh vs. a consensus $0.07 expectation and EPS declined vs. prior year; net margin (?1.0%) and ROE remain low, which could temper enthusiasm despite revenue strength. Marcus Q4 results and press release

About Marcus

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.