The Marcus Co. (NYSE:MCS) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

The Marcus Co. (NYSE:MCS) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 726,500 shares, a growth of 21.0% from the January 15th total of 600,300 shares. Currently, 3.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 201,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.6 days.

Marcus Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of Marcus stock traded down $0.10 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $22.04. 140,472 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 163,523. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.54. Marcus has a 52 week low of $9.56 and a 52 week high of $23.16. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $20.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $18.22. The company has a market cap of $693.82 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -64.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.53.

Marcus Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.27%. Marcus’s dividend payout ratio is currently -82.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Marcus from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $25.00 price objective on shares of Marcus in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $24.00 price target on shares of Marcus in a report on Wednesday, November 13th.

Institutional Trading of Marcus

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MCS. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in shares of Marcus by 69.8% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 599,118 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,881,000 after acquiring an additional 246,375 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of Marcus by 135.3% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 392,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,913,000 after acquiring an additional 225,644 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in shares of Marcus by 303.7% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 257,089 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,527,000 after acquiring an additional 193,400 shares in the last quarter. Peapod Lane Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Marcus in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,258,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Marcus by 23.4% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 736,619 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,837,000 after acquiring an additional 139,577 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.57% of the company’s stock.

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.