Marcus (NYSE:MCS) Share Price Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Marcus Corporation (The) (NYSE:MCS) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $15.47 and traded as high as $16.16. Marcus shares last traded at $15.94, with a volume of 200,032 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MCS. Benchmark reduced their target price on shares of Marcus from $25.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Marcus in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research raised Marcus from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, September 18th. Finally, Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $25.00 target price on shares of Marcus in a report on Friday, December 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $23.75.

Marcus Stock Performance

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $15.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $15.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a market cap of $489.52 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 66.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.55.

Marcus (NYSE:MCS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.43 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $210.15 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $214.14 million. Marcus had a net margin of 1.02% and a return on equity of 1.71%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Marcus Corporation will post 0.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marcus Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 25th were paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 25th. Marcus’s dividend payout ratio is presently 133.33%.

Marcus declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Friday, October 31st that allows the company to buyback 4,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marcus

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Marcus during the fourth quarter valued at $240,000. Oarsman Capital Inc. raised its position in shares of Marcus by 22.3% during the 3rd quarter. Oarsman Capital Inc. now owns 34,825 shares of the company’s stock worth $540,000 after purchasing an additional 6,350 shares during the last quarter. Polymer Capital Management US LLC lifted its stake in Marcus by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. Polymer Capital Management US LLC now owns 24,419 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,000 after buying an additional 1,726 shares in the last quarter. Prelude Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Marcus in the 3rd quarter worth about $187,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Marcus by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 102,695 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,593,000 after buying an additional 1,205 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.57% of the company’s stock.

Marcus Company Profile

The Marcus Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates movie theatres, and hotels and resorts in the United States. It operates a family entertainment center and multiscreen motion picture theatres under the Big Screen Bistro, Big Screen Bistro Express, BistroPlex, and Movie Tavern by Marcus brand names. The company also owns and operates full-service hotels and resorts, as well as manages full-service hotels, resorts, and other properties. In addition, it provides hospitality management services, including check-in, housekeeping, and maintenance for a vacation ownership development; and manages condominium hotels under long-term management contracts.