Wedbush Decreases Earnings Estimates for National CineMedia

National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) – Wedbush lowered their FY2026 earnings estimates for National CineMedia in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, May 7th. Wedbush analyst A. Reese now forecasts that the business services provider will post earnings per share of $0.13 for the year, down from their prior estimate of $0.17. Wedbush currently has a “Outperform” rating and a $7.50 target price on the stock. The consensus estimate for National CineMedia’s current full-year earnings is ($0.12) per share. Wedbush also issued estimates for National CineMedia’s FY2027 earnings at $0.20 EPS.

NCMI has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $8.00 target price on shares of National CineMedia in a report on Friday, March 7th. William Blair restated a “neutral” rating and set a $7.50 price objective on shares of National CineMedia in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $7.00 target price on shares of National CineMedia in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of National CineMedia from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $7.70.

National CineMedia Stock Performance

Shares of NCMI stock opened at $5.07 on Thursday. National CineMedia has a 52-week low of $4.12 and a 52-week high of $7.60. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $5.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $6.45. The company has a quick ratio of 2.46, a current ratio of 2.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $482.62 million, a PE ratio of -20.28 and a beta of 2.12.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The business services provider reported ($0.24) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.20) by ($0.04). National CineMedia had a negative net margin of 9.49% and a negative return on equity of 2.61%. The business had revenue of $34.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.13 million.

National CineMedia Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.03 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.37%. National CineMedia’s payout ratio is currently -52.17%.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Blantyre Capital Ltd purchased 103,685 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $5.18 per share, for a total transaction of $537,088.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 10,310,433 shares in the company, valued at $53,408,042.94. This represents a 1.02 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National CineMedia

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NCMI. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of National CineMedia by 502.0% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,081 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 4,237 shares during the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in National CineMedia during the fourth quarter worth $53,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets acquired a new position in shares of National CineMedia in the fourth quarter worth $57,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new stake in shares of National CineMedia in the first quarter valued at $63,000. Finally, DRW Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National CineMedia during the fourth quarter valued at $73,000. 69.49% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About National CineMedia

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.