National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Thursday.

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

National CineMedia Stock Down 3.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:NCMI opened at $6.01 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.46, a quick ratio of 2.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $6.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $6.41. The company has a market capitalization of $570.44 million, a PE ratio of -24.04 and a beta of 2.06. National CineMedia has a twelve month low of $3.65 and a twelve month high of $7.60.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at National CineMedia

In related news, EVP Maria Vg Woods sold 23,742 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The shares were 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 directly owns 66,987 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $436,085.37. This represents a 26.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National CineMedia

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NCMI. Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its holdings in shares of National CineMedia by 7.9% in the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 42,835 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $188,000 after purchasing an additional 3,132 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in National CineMedia by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 476,468 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,164,000 after buying an additional 7,130 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in National CineMedia by 16.2% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 56,277 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $397,000 after buying an additional 7,859 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of National CineMedia during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $97,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of National CineMedia by 20.4% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 89,555 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $393,000 after acquiring an additional 15,177 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.49% of the company’s stock.

About National CineMedia

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.