IMAX (NYSE:IMAX) Issues Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.02 EPS

IMAX (NYSE:IMAX) announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The company reported $0.17 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.02, FiscalAI reports. IMAX had a net margin of 9.08% and a return on equity of 13.66%. The business had revenue of $81.38 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $79.82 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.13 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 6.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Here are the key takeaways from IMAX’s conference call:

• Strong box-office momentum with Project Hail Mary earning $90M+ in IMAX, Q1 global box office ex-China up 67% YoY, and management reiterating 2026 guidance including a record $1.4 billion global box office target.
• Significant Greater China headwind — China box office declined sharply versus last year’s Ne Zha 2 comp, driving an overall $5M revenue decline and compressing gross margins in the quarter.
• Network expansion accelerating: over 40 signings year-to-date across 10 countries, including a 10-system deal with Hoyts in Australia, and a 2026 target of 160–175 system installations to drive long-term box office growth.
• Mixed financials — Adjusted net income rose 33% to $10M and adjusted EPS increased, but revenue fell to $81.4M and adjusted EBITDA declined to $31M (38% margin); cash of $146M and net leverage ~0.86x, while $8M of lease incentives reduced operating cash flow.
• Robust content pipeline and diversification: multiple high-profile filmed-for-IMAX titles (including The Odyssey, Dune, and upcoming Incredibles 3), plus non-film events like Formula One, supporting longer-term margin and box-office upside.

IMAX Stock Performance

IMAX stock opened at $36.31 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.56, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.37. IMAX has a 52-week low of $22.54 and a 52-week high of $43.16. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $38.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $36.42.

More IMAX News

Here are the key news stories impacting IMAX this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS beat — IMAX reported $0.17 EPS vs. the $0.15 consensus, signaling underlying profitability strength. MarketBeat Earnings Summary
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains — JPMorgan trimmed its price target slightly from $48 to $47 but kept an “overweight” rating, implying continued analyst confidence in upside. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Exhibition expansion — IMAX extended its partnership with HOYTS to roll out ~10 new IMAX locations across Australia & New Zealand, supporting long?term capacity and box?office exposure. B & T
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate commentary and detail — IMAX filed its Q1 results and provided an earnings slide deck and call transcript for more color on guidance and mix. Investors will parse the call for forward commentary. Press Release / Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue and profit pressure — Total Q1 revenue fell ~6% YoY to $81.4M despite hits like Project Hail Mary and Avatar titles; several outlets flagged declining revenue/profit, which likely trimmed investor enthusiasm. Variety
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — IMAX’s CEO reported a sale of roughly $333,842 worth of shares, a catalyst that can weigh on sentiment when combined with mixed results. American Banking News

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Richard L. Gelfond sold 8,943 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.33, for a total value of $333,842.19. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 765,002 shares in the company, valued at $28,557,524.66. The trade was a 1.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Kevin Douglas sold 330,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.82, for a total transaction of $12,488,164.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 3,657,450 shares in the company, valued at $138,324,759. This trade represents a 8.28% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,054,284 shares of company stock worth $40,062,532. Insiders own 23.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in IMAX. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of IMAX during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Quarry LP increased its holdings in IMAX by 166.8% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 875 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 547 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in IMAX by 2,310.4% in the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 1,109 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of IMAX by 863.0% during the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 1,666 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 1,493 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of IMAX during the 4th quarter worth approximately $74,000. 93.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on IMAX shares. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $46.00 price target on shares of IMAX in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on IMAX from $37.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Seaport Research Partners upped their target price on IMAX from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings downgraded IMAX from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered IMAX from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, IMAX presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.00.

IMAX Company Profile

IMAX Corporation is a global leader in immersive entertainment technologies, specializing in the design, manufacture and distribution of high-resolution cameras, projectors, and proprietary software solutions that enhance both film production and theatrical exhibition. The company licenses its premium large-format system to theatre owners and filmmakers around the world, enabling audiences to experience movies with greater clarity, scale and sound fidelity. IMAX also offers turnkey theatre development services, assisting cinema operators with auditorium design, installation and custom branding to optimize the customer experience.

Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, IMAX has built a reputation for pioneering film-format innovations, including its patented dual 15-perforation, 70-millimeter projection system.