Marcus (NYSE:MCS) Shares Down 8% – Should You Sell?

The Marcus Co. (NYSE:MCS)’s stock price was down 8% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $19.22 and last traded at $19.20. Approximately 66,662 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 61% from the average daily volume of 171,250 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.87.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Marcus from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $25.00 price objective on shares of Marcus in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of Marcus in a research report on Thursday.

Marcus Stock Performance

The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $20.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $18.74. The company has a market cap of $584.46 million, a P/E ratio of -54.60, a P/E/G ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.54.

Marcus (NYSE:MCS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.04 by $0.09. Marcus had a positive return on equity of 1.39% and a negative net margin of 1.44%. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Marcus Co. will post 0.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Marcus Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. Marcus’s dividend payout ratio is -82.35%.

Institutional Trading of Marcus

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCS. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marcus by 2,908.9% in the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 2,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 2,298 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Marcus in the 4th quarter worth about $70,000. National Bank of Canada FI raised its position in Marcus by 407,500.0% in the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 4,076 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,000 after purchasing an additional 4,075 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in shares of Marcus during the fourth quarter valued at about $114,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marcus during the fourth quarter worth about $130,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.57% of the company’s stock.

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.