Marcus (NYSE:MCS) Stock Dropped to Buy by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Marcus (NYSE:MCS) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Sunday,Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on MCS. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Marcus from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday. B. Riley Financial downgraded shares of Marcus from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the company from $27.00 to $29.00 in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Benchmark lifted their price target on Marcus from $22.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Barrington Research set a $33.00 price target on Marcus in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Marcus from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.25.

Marcus Price Performance

Shares of MCS opened at $27.07 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $28.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.33. Marcus has a 1-year low of $12.85 and a 1-year high of $32.42. The company has a market cap of $834.48 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.12 and a beta of 0.58.

Marcus (NYSE:MCS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.16. Marcus had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 2.67%. The firm had revenue of $231.74 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $217.72 million. On average, research analysts forecast that Marcus will post 0.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marcus Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th were given a dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. This is a positive change from Marcus’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 25th. Marcus’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.70%.

Insider Activity at Marcus

In other Marcus news, Director Diane M. Gershowitz sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.61, for a total value of $1,380,500.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 125,617 shares in the company, valued at $3,468,285.37. The trade was a 28.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 16.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Marcus

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in Marcus during the second quarter worth approximately $290,000. Susquehanna International Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Marcus by 183.1% during the second quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP now owns 47,094 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,105,000 after acquiring an additional 30,457 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marcus during the first quarter worth approximately $844,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marcus by 49.2% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 60,497 shares of the company’s stock worth $935,000 after acquiring an additional 19,947 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in shares of Marcus by 1.8% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 89,332 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,534,000 after purchasing an additional 1,556 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.57% of the company’s stock.

About Marcus

Marcus Corporation (NYSE:MCS) is a Wisconsin-based company operating in the entertainment and lodging industries. Its business is organized primarily through Marcus Theatres and Marcus Hotels & Resorts, serving customers across selected markets in the United States.

Marcus Theatres operates movie theaters that offer first-run films, premium large-format and other enhanced viewing experiences, food and beverage services, and other entertainment amenities. The division also operates theaters under the Marcus, Movie Tavern, and BistroPlex brands.

Marcus Hotels & Resorts owns, manages, or develops hotels and resorts in various U.S.