National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) Stock Price Up 4.4% – Should You Buy?

National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) shares shot up 4.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $6.05 and last traded at $6.00. 71,949 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 89% from the average session volume of 646,383 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.75.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on NCMI shares. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $7.00 target price on shares of National CineMedia in a report on Friday, March 14th. StockNews.com raised shares of National CineMedia from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Wedbush raised shares of National CineMedia from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $7.50 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $8.00 price target on shares of National CineMedia in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, William Blair restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $7.50 price target on shares of National CineMedia in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $7.70.

National CineMedia Stock Down 4.3 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 2.46 and a quick ratio of 2.46. The company has a market cap of $554.12 million, a PE ratio of -23.28 and a beta of 2.19. The business’s 50 day moving average is $6.50 and its 200-day moving average is $6.72.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The business services provider reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $86.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $84.77 million. National CineMedia had a negative net margin of 9.49% and a negative return on equity of 2.61%. As a group, analysts predict that National CineMedia, Inc. will post -0.12 EPS for the current year.

National CineMedia Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a — dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 24th will be issued a $0.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 24th. National CineMedia’s payout ratio is currently -52.17%.

Insider Transactions at National CineMedia

In related news, major shareholder Blantyre Capital Ltd bought 103,685 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $5.18 per share, with a total value of $537,088.30. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 10,310,433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,408,042.94. This represents a 1.02 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Maria Vg Woods sold 23,742 shares of National CineMedia stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $436,085.37. This represents a 26.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National CineMedia

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National CineMedia in the 4th quarter valued at about $53,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets acquired a new stake in shares of National CineMedia in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. DRW Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National CineMedia in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $73,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of National CineMedia during the fourth quarter worth approximately $91,000. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of National CineMedia in the 4th quarter valued at $93,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.49% of the company’s stock.

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.