Virtus Advisers LLC Makes New $744,000 Investment in Marcus Corporation (The) $MCS

Virtus Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marcus Corporation (The) (NYSE:MCS) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 26,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $744,000. Virtus Advisers LLC owned about 0.09% of Marcus at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MCS. Diversified Trust Co raised its position in shares of Marcus by 11.8% during the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 12,095 shares of the company’s stock worth $337,000 after acquiring an additional 1,281 shares in the last quarter. CenterBook Partners LP purchased a new position in Marcus in the third quarter valued at approximately $655,000. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in Marcus in the third quarter valued at approximately $70,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new stake in Marcus during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Range Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Marcus during the third quarter worth approximately $1,697,000. 81.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Marcus from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Wedbush increased their target price on shares of Marcus from $23.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Marcus from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 31st. Barrington Research set a $33.00 price target on shares of Marcus in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Marcus from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.25.

Marcus Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCS traded down $0.28 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $26.95. The stock had a trading volume of 99,427 shares, compared to its average volume of 198,705. The firm has a market cap of $837.72 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.11, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Marcus Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $14.63 and a fifty-two week high of $32.42. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $27.60 and a 200-day moving average of $22.53.

Marcus (NYSE:MCS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.60. Marcus had a return on equity of 3.84% and a net margin of 3.08%. The company had revenue of $237.75 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $235.65 million. Equities research analysts predict that Marcus Corporation will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Marcus Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 25th will be issued a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 25th. Marcus’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.57%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Diane M. Gershowitz sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.61, for a total transaction of $1,380,500.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 125,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,468,285.37. This trade represents a 28.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 16.53% of the company’s stock.

Marcus Profile

Marcus Corporation is a Milwaukee-based entertainment and hospitality company founded in 1935. It operates through Marcus Theatres, which runs movie theaters in the United States, and Marcus Hotels & Resorts, which owns and manages hotels and resorts. Marcus Theatres offers movie screenings and related guest experiences, while Marcus Hotels & Resorts provides lodging, dining, meeting and event services. The company’s operations are concentrated in the United States, particularly the Midwest.