Marcus (NYSE:MCS) Raised to Hold at Zacks Research

Marcus (NYSE:MCS) was upgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $24.00 price objective on shares of Marcus in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Marcus in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $23.50.

Marcus Trading Up 2.0%

MCS opened at $16.83 on Monday. Marcus has a 12-month low of $12.85 and a 12-month high of $18.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $516.76 million, a PE ratio of 42.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.57. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $16.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.41.

Marcus (NYSE:MCS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported ($0.06) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.07 by ($0.13). The company had revenue of $193.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $185.19 million. Marcus had a return on equity of 0.46% and a net margin of 1.67%. As a group, research analysts expect that Marcus will post 0.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Marcus

In other news, VP Thomas F. Kissinger sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.32, for a total value of $433,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 199,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,458,804. This represents a 11.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 15.82% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marcus

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCS. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in Marcus by 49.2% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 60,497 shares of the company’s stock worth $935,000 after purchasing an additional 19,947 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new position in shares of Marcus during the 4th quarter valued at $227,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Marcus in the 4th quarter worth $170,000. PDT Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marcus in the 4th quarter worth $314,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marcus by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 136,589 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,118,000 after buying an additional 10,943 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. The company also owns and operates full-service hotels and resorts, as well as manages full-service hotels, resorts, and other properties. In addition, it provides hospitality management services, including check-in, housekeeping, and maintenance for a vacation ownership development; and manages condominium hotels under long-term management contracts.