National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.02 EPS

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) posted its earnings results on Thursday. The business services provider reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.26 by $0.02, FiscalAI reports. National CineMedia had a negative return on equity of 2.67% and a negative net margin of 6.39%.

National CineMedia Trading Up 3.2%

NASDAQ:NCMI traded up $0.11 on Thursday, hitting $3.51. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 553,722 shares, compared to its average volume of 340,674. National CineMedia has a one year low of $3.17 and a one year high of $6.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $329.35 million, a P/E ratio of -23.40 and a beta of 1.38. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $3.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $4.10.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Benchmark dropped their price objective on National CineMedia from $7.00 to $6.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Barrington Research dropped their target price on shares of National CineMedia from $6.50 to $5.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of National CineMedia in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research raised National CineMedia from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $6.00 target price (down from $7.00) on shares of National CineMedia in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, National CineMedia currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $5.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Maria Vg Woods sold 9,043 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.89, for a total transaction of $35,177.27. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 129,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $503,093.70. This represents a 6.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National CineMedia

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NCMI. Strs Ohio bought a new position in National CineMedia during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in National CineMedia during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Graham Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of National CineMedia during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in National CineMedia by 103.2% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 12,895 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 6,549 shares during the period. Finally, Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of National CineMedia during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Institutional investors own 69.49% of the company’s stock.

About National CineMedia

National CineMedia, Inc is a leading U.S. out-of-home media company specializing in cinema advertising. The firm operates a proprietary network that delivers high-impact advertising content to moviegoers across a broad footprint of theaters, offering brands a targeted and immersive way to engage audiences in a captive, distraction-free environment.

Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Centennial, Colorado, National CineMedia began as a joint venture among several major exhibition chains.