National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) Earns “Buy” Rating from Benchmark

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI)‘s stock had its “buy” rating restated by analysts at Benchmark in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $8.00 price objective on the business services provider’s stock. Benchmark’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 53.26% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on NCMI. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $7.50 price target on shares of National CineMedia in a research note on Wednesday. StockNews.com lowered shares of National CineMedia from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Barrington Research decreased their price target on shares of National CineMedia from $8.25 to $7.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $7.70.

National CineMedia Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NCMI opened at $5.22 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $495.46 million, a P/E ratio of -20.88 and a beta of 2.19. National CineMedia has a 1-year low of $3.70 and a 1-year high of $7.60. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $6.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $6.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 2.46 and a quick ratio of 2.46.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The business services provider reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.06. National CineMedia had a negative net margin of 9.49% and a negative return on equity of 2.61%. The firm had revenue of $86.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $84.77 million. Research analysts expect that National CineMedia will post -0.12 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 firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.51, for a total value of $154,560.42. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 66,987 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $436,085.37. This trade represents a 26.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National CineMedia

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in National CineMedia in the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets purchased a new stake in shares of National CineMedia during the fourth quarter valued at $57,000. DRW Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of National CineMedia in the fourth quarter worth about $73,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in National CineMedia in the 4th quarter worth about $91,000. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC bought a new stake in National CineMedia during the 4th quarter valued at about $93,000. 69.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.