StockNews.com Downgrades National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) to Sell

StockNews.com cut shares of National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Barrington Research upped their price target on National CineMedia from $7.50 to $8.25 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $7.50 target price (up previously from $6.00) on shares of National CineMedia in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $8.00 target price on shares of National CineMedia in a report on Monday, September 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $8.06.

National CineMedia Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NCMI opened at $6.70 on Monday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $6.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $6.55. National CineMedia has a 12-month low of $3.65 and a 12-month high of $7.60. The firm has a market cap of $635.96 million, a P/E ratio of -26.80 and a beta of 2.06. The company has a quick ratio of 2.46, a current ratio of 2.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) last issued 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 business had revenue of $62.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.20 million. National CineMedia had a negative return on equity of 2.61% and a negative net margin of 9.49%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.33 earnings per share. Analysts predict that National CineMedia will post -0.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at National CineMedia

In related news, EVP Maria Vg Woods sold 23,742 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.51, for a total transaction of $154,560.42. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 66,987 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $436,085.37. The trade was a 26.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in National CineMedia in the 3rd quarter worth about $97,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new position in National CineMedia in the 2nd quarter worth $124,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC lifted its holdings in National CineMedia by 7.9% in the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 42,835 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $188,000 after purchasing an additional 3,132 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of National CineMedia by 102.6% during the second quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 48,418 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $213,000 after acquiring an additional 24,521 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in National CineMedia by 141.2% in the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 30,929 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $218,000 after acquiring an additional 18,108 shares during the last quarter. 69.49% of the stock is 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.