National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) Hits New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Shares of National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $7.39 and last traded at $7.27, with a volume of 180613 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $7.18.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on NCMI shares. Barrington Research lifted their target price on shares of National CineMedia from $7.50 to $8.25 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $8.00 target price on shares of National CineMedia in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $7.50 price objective (up from $6.00) on shares of National CineMedia in a report on Monday, November 4th. B. Riley boosted their price objective on shares of National CineMedia from $7.50 to $8.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of National CineMedia from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $8.06.

National CineMedia Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $676.78 million, a PE ratio of -28.72 and a beta of 2.07. The company has a current ratio of 2.46, a quick ratio of 2.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The business’s fifty day moving average is $6.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $6.09.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National CineMedia

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NCMI. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of National CineMedia during the 2nd quarter valued at $56,000. Fermata Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of National CineMedia during the 2nd quarter valued at $92,000. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of National CineMedia during the 3rd quarter valued at $97,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new stake in shares of National CineMedia during the 2nd quarter valued at $124,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC grew its position in shares of National CineMedia by 13.8% during the 1st quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 26,223 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $135,000 after acquiring an additional 3,172 shares during the period. 69.49% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.