National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) Shares Gap Up - What's Next?

National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI - Get Free Report) shares gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $5.53, but opened at $5.71. National CineMedia shares last traded at $5.94, with a volume of 61,488 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on NCMI. Barrington Research reduced their price target on shares of National CineMedia from $8.25 to $7.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Wedbush restated a "neutral" rating and set a $7.50 price target on shares of National CineMedia in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. William Blair restated a "neutral" rating and set a $7.50 price target on shares of National CineMedia in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and set a $8.00 price target on shares of National CineMedia in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of National CineMedia from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $7.70.

National CineMedia Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 2.46, a current ratio of 2.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The stock has a market cap of $545.08 million, a P/E ratio of -22.92 and a beta of 2.19. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $6.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $6.77.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Blantyre Capital Ltd acquired 300,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $5.12 per share, for a total transaction of $1,536,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 10,250,721 shares of the company's stock, valued at $52,483,691.52. The trade was a 3.01 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Maria Vg Woods sold 23,742 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $154,560.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 66,987 shares of the company's stock, 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. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National CineMedia

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC raised its stake in National CineMedia by 5.6% in 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 purchasing an additional 365,360 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of National CineMedia by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,923,516 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $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 in the fourth quarter worth $14,147,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of National CineMedia by 0.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,961,963 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $13,835,000 after buying an additional 15,605 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of National CineMedia by 23.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,157,488 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $8,160,000 after buying an additional 222,498 shares during the period. 69.49% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

National CineMedia Company Profile

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.

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