Marcus (NYSE:MCS) Reaches New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Marcus Corporation (The) (NYSE:MCS) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $20.55 and last traded at $20.53, with a volume of 45435 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.11.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on MCS. Wedbush upped their price target on shares of Marcus from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Marcus from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Marcus from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. B. Riley Financial restated a “buy” rating on shares of Marcus in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $25.00 target price on shares of Marcus in a report on Monday, May 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $23.33.

Marcus Trading Up 1.1%

The firm has a market capitalization of $624.62 million, a PE ratio of 47.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.55. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $18.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Marcus (NYSE:MCS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($0.51) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.54) by $0.03. The business had revenue of $154.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $148.78 million. Marcus had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 0.79%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Marcus Corporation will post 0.47 EPS for the current year.

Marcus Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. Marcus’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.42%.

Insider Activity at Marcus

In related news, insider Michael Reade Evans sold 7,671 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.04, for a total value of $146,055.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 45,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $872,051.04. This trade represents a 14.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 16.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marcus

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MCS. Navalign LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marcus in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of Marcus by 550.6% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,264 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,916 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in shares of Marcus by 60.2% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 937 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its position in shares of Marcus by 656.0% in the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 5,761 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,000 after purchasing an additional 4,999 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Marcus by 67.6% in the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,109 shares of the company’s stock valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 4,076 shares during the last quarter. 81.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.