National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) Upgraded to Hold at Zacks Research

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday, Zacks reports.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on NCMI. Wedbush set a $5.00 target price on National CineMedia and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Wall Street Zen downgraded National CineMedia from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 6th. Barrington Research set a $4.25 price objective on shares of National CineMedia in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of National CineMedia from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, National CineMedia currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $4.81.

National CineMedia Trading Up 3.4%

Shares of NCMI stock opened at $2.46 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 1.84 and a current ratio of 1.84. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $3.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $230.70 million, a PE ratio of -27.33 and a beta of 1.37. National CineMedia has a 52-week low of $2.16 and a 52-week high of $5.03.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 11th. The business services provider reported ($0.10) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.09) by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $58.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $59.34 million. National CineMedia had a negative net margin of 3.05% and a negative return on equity of 1.31%. On average, analysts predict that National CineMedia will post 0.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at National CineMedia

In other news, insider Maria Woods sold 12,058 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.77, for a total transaction of $45,458.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 163,162 shares in the company, valued at $615,120.74. This trade represents a 6.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National CineMedia

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NCMI. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in National CineMedia during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of National CineMedia during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Graham Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of National CineMedia during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of National CineMedia by 103.2% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 12,895 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 6,549 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of National CineMedia during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $53,000. 69.49% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About National CineMedia

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.