National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Thursday morning.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $8.00 price target on shares of National CineMedia in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Barrington Research boosted their target price on National CineMedia from $7.50 to $8.25 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $7.50 target price (up previously from $6.00) on shares of National CineMedia in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, National CineMedia presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $8.06.

National CineMedia Stock Down 3.5 %

NCMI stock opened at $6.01 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $6.80 and its 200 day moving average is $6.44. The stock has a market cap of $570.44 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -24.04 and a beta of 2.06. 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 1-year low of $3.65 and a 1-year high of $7.60.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The business services provider reported ($0.04) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.03) by ($0.01). National CineMedia had a negative return on equity of 2.61% and a negative net margin of 9.49%. The company had revenue of $62.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.20 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.33 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that National CineMedia will post -0.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at National CineMedia

In other National CineMedia news, EVP Maria Vg Woods sold 23,742 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.51, for a total transaction of $154,560.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 66,987 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $436,085.37. This represents a 26.17 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National CineMedia

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NCMI. Rhumbline Advisers bought a new stake in National CineMedia in the second quarter valued at $427,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of National CineMedia by 240.5% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 721,697 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $5,088,000 after purchasing an additional 509,756 shares in the last quarter. Kings Path Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of National CineMedia during the 4th quarter valued at about $408,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of National CineMedia during the second quarter valued at about $979,000. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC bought a new position in National CineMedia in the third quarter worth about $292,000. Institutional investors own 69.49% of the company’s stock.

National CineMedia Company Profile

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.