National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) Receives "Neutral" Rating from William Blair

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "neutral" rating reissued by equities researchers at William Blair in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,RTT News reports. They currently have a $7.50 price target on the business services provider's stock. William Blair's target price suggests a potential upside of 40.19% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $8.00 price objective on shares of National CineMedia in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com lowered shares of National CineMedia from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Wedbush reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $7.50 price objective on shares of National CineMedia in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Barrington Research lowered their target price on National CineMedia from $8.25 to $7.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $7.70.

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National CineMedia Price Performance

NASDAQ NCMI traded down $0.04 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $5.35. 968,943 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 640,559. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $6.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $6.78. National CineMedia has a 1 year low of $3.71 and a 1 year high of $7.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 2.46 and a quick ratio of 2.46. The company has a market cap of $507.80 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -21.40 and a beta of 2.19.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The business services provider reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $86.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $84.77 million. National CineMedia had a negative return on equity of 2.61% and a negative net margin of 9.49%. On average, analysts predict that National CineMedia will post -0.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at National CineMedia

In other National CineMedia news, major shareholder Blantyre Capital Ltd acquired 300,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $5.12 per share, for a total transaction of $1,536,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 10,250,721 shares in the company, valued at $52,483,691.52. This represents a 3.01 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Maria Vg Woods sold 23,742 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.51, for a total value of $154,560.42. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 66,987 shares in the company, valued at $436,085.37. This trade represents a 26.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National CineMedia

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NCMI. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of National CineMedia by 5.6% during the third quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 6,936,947 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $48,905,000 after buying an additional 365,360 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in National CineMedia by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,923,516 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $19,412,000 after acquiring an additional 132,895 shares in the last quarter. Sycale Advisors NY LLC purchased a new position in shares of National CineMedia during the 4th quarter worth approximately $14,147,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of National CineMedia by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,961,963 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $13,835,000 after acquiring an additional 15,605 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of National CineMedia by 23.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,157,488 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $8,160,000 after purchasing an additional 222,498 shares during the period. 69.49% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.