National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) Downgraded to “Strong Sell” Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research downgraded shares of National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note published on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Barrington Research set a $4.25 price target on National CineMedia in a research report on Wednesday. Wedbush set a $5.00 price objective on National CineMedia and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of National CineMedia in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised National CineMedia from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, National CineMedia has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $4.81.

National CineMedia Stock Performance

Shares of NCMI opened at $2.22 on Tuesday. National CineMedia has a 12-month low of $2.16 and a 12-month high of $5.03. The stock has a market cap of $208.19 million, a P/E ratio of -24.66 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The company has a 50-day moving average of $3.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $3.50.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) last released its quarterly earnings results 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). National CineMedia had a negative net margin of 3.05% and a negative return on equity of 1.29%. The business had revenue of $58.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $59.34 million. As a group, research analysts predict that National CineMedia will post -0.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Maria Vg Woods sold 12,058 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.77, for a total transaction of $45,458.66. Following the transaction, the insider owned 163,162 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $615,120.74. This represents a 6.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd increased its stake in National CineMedia by 79.5% in the fourth quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 9,523,889 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $37,048,000 after purchasing an additional 4,218,288 shares during the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in National CineMedia by 34.2% in the 3rd quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 6,151,313 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,742,000 after buying an additional 1,568,376 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in National CineMedia by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,519,377 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $20,382,000 after buying an additional 12,172 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in National CineMedia by 30.1% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,003,352 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $7,793,000 after buying an additional 463,112 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in National CineMedia by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,997,905 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $6,094,000 after buying an additional 62,395 shares during the period. 69.49% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.