The Marcus Co. (NYSE:MCS) Short Interest Update

The Marcus Co. (NYSE:MCS) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 549,700 shares, a decrease of 38.4% from the November 30th total of 891,700 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 306,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.8 days. Currently, 2.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Benchmark lifted their price target on shares of Marcus from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. StockNews.com raised shares of Marcus from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $24.00 target price on shares of Marcus in a report on Wednesday, November 13th.

Marcus Stock Performance

Marcus stock opened at $21.70 on Friday. Marcus has a 12-month low of $9.56 and a 12-month high of $23.16. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $20.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $15.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $683.16 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -63.82, a P/E/G ratio of 4.95 and a beta of 1.54.

Marcus Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 25th were paid a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.29%. Marcus’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -82.35%.

Insider Activity at Marcus

In other Marcus news, VP Thomas F. Kissinger sold 8,000 shares of Marcus stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.31, for a total transaction of $178,480.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 186,585 shares in the company, valued at $4,162,711.35. The trade was a 4.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 5.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marcus

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MCS. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Marcus by 1.3% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 561,687 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,467,000 after buying an additional 7,320 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in Marcus by 135.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 392,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,913,000 after acquiring an additional 225,644 shares during the period. Walleye Trading LLC raised its position in shares of Marcus by 14.5% during the 3rd quarter. Walleye Trading LLC now owns 34,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $512,000 after acquiring an additional 4,300 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in shares of Marcus by 2,057.5% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 52,406 shares of the company’s stock valued at $790,000 after purchasing an additional 49,977 shares during the period. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Marcus by 142.0% in the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 83,101 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,252,000 after purchasing an additional 48,759 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.57% of the company’s stock.

About Marcus

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.