National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) Receives $7.75 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $7.70.

NCMI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of National CineMedia from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. William Blair reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $7.50 price target on shares of National CineMedia in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $7.50 price objective on shares of National CineMedia in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $8.00 target price on shares of National CineMedia in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Barrington Research lowered their price target on National CineMedia from $8.25 to $7.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 7th.

Insider Buying and Selling at National CineMedia

In related news, major shareholder Blantyre Capital Ltd bought 300,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $5.12 per share, for a total transaction of $1,536,000.00. Following the acquisition, the insider now directly owns 10,250,721 shares in the company, valued at $52,483,691.52. This represents a 3.01 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Maria Vg Woods sold 23,742 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.51, for a total value of $154,560.42. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 66,987 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $436,085.37. This trade represents a 26.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National CineMedia

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NCMI. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of National CineMedia in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $53,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets acquired a new position in National CineMedia in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. DRW Securities LLC purchased a new position in National CineMedia in the fourth quarter worth approximately $73,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in National CineMedia during the fourth quarter worth $91,000. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC purchased a new stake in National CineMedia in the fourth quarter valued at $93,000. 69.49% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

National CineMedia Stock Performance

NASDAQ NCMI opened at $5.71 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.46, a quick ratio of 2.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. National CineMedia has a twelve month low of $4.03 and a twelve month high of $7.60. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $6.57 and a 200 day moving average of $6.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $543.65 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -22.84 and a beta of 2.19.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The business services provider reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.06. National CineMedia had a negative return on equity of 2.61% and a negative net margin of 9.49%. The business had revenue of $86.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $84.77 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that National CineMedia will post -0.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.