National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) Hits New 12-Month High - What's Next?

Shares of National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $7.32 and last traded at $7.26, with a volume of 140438 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $7.11.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on NCMI. Wedbush reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $6.00 price objective on shares of National CineMedia in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Barrington Research upgraded National CineMedia from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $7.50 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and set a $8.00 target price on shares of National CineMedia in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, B. Riley lifted their price target on shares of National CineMedia from $7.50 to $8.50 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $7.50.

National CineMedia Trading Up 1.3 %

The firm has a market cap of $695.30 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 2.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 2.45 and a quick ratio of 2.45. The business has a 50-day moving average of $6.85 and a 200-day moving average of $5.67.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 5th. The business services provider reported ($0.09) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by ($0.01). National CineMedia had a net margin of 78.04% and a return on equity of 3.50%. The company had revenue of $54.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $49.87 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.07) EPS. Research analysts anticipate that National CineMedia, Inc. will post -0.04 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National CineMedia

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its stake in National CineMedia by 7.9% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 42,835 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $188,000 after buying an additional 3,132 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC lifted its holdings in National CineMedia by 13.8% during the 1st quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 26,223 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $135,000 after purchasing an additional 3,172 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in National CineMedia by 38.9% during the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 23,897 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $123,000 after purchasing an additional 6,690 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in National CineMedia during the second quarter worth $56,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of National CineMedia by 20.4% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 89,555 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $393,000 after purchasing an additional 15,177 shares during the last quarter. 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.