National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the six analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $5.3750.

A number of analysts recently commented on NCMI shares. Weiss Ratings lowered National CineMedia from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of National CineMedia from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, Wedbush reduced their target price on National CineMedia from $6.50 to $6.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 12th.

National CineMedia Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:NCMI opened at $3.14 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $294.47 million, a P/E ratio of -34.89 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. National CineMedia has a 12-month low of $2.78 and a 12-month high of $5.55. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $3.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $3.59.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 12th. The business services provider reported ($0.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.03. National CineMedia had a negative net margin of 3.47% and a negative return on equity of 1.80%. The firm had revenue of $34.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.92 million.

National CineMedia Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be issued a $0.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. National CineMedia’s dividend payout ratio is currently -133.33%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Maria Vg Woods sold 12,066 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.04, for a total value of $36,680.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 143,097 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $435,014.88. This represents a 7.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National CineMedia

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NCMI. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in National CineMedia by 59.8% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 488,025 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,850,000 after buying an additional 182,548 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in National CineMedia during the first quarter valued at about $255,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in National CineMedia by 21.3% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 683,614 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,992,000 after buying an additional 120,079 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC grew its position in National CineMedia by 511.8% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 93,061 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $543,000 after buying an additional 77,849 shares during the period. Finally, Strs Ohio bought a new position in National CineMedia during the first quarter valued at about $43,000. Institutional investors own 69.49% of the company’s stock.

About National CineMedia

National CineMedia, Inc is a leading U.S. out-of-home media company specializing in cinema advertising. The firm operates a proprietary network that delivers high-impact advertising content to moviegoers across a broad footprint of theaters, offering brands a targeted and immersive way to engage audiences in a captive, distraction-free environment.

Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Centennial, Colorado, National CineMedia began as a joint venture among several major exhibition chains.