Short Interest in The Marcus Co. (NYSE:MCS) Declines By 23.4%

The Marcus Co. (NYSE:MCS - Get Free Report) saw a significant decline in short interest during the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,310,000 shares, a decline of 23.4% from the September 30th total of 1,710,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 366,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.6 days. Approximately 5.5% of the company's stock are short sold.

Marcus Stock Performance

Shares of MCS traded up $0.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $16.66. The company's stock had a trading volume of 175,655 shares, compared to its average volume of 540,820. The stock's 50-day moving average is $15.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $535.70 million, a PE ratio of 69.42 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.51. Marcus has a one year low of $9.56 and a one year high of $16.74.

Marcus (NYSE:MCS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported ($0.17) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.03 by ($0.20). The company had revenue of $176.03 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $170.74 million. Marcus had a negative net margin of 3.11% and a negative return on equity of 1.36%. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.35 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marcus will post -0.04 EPS for the current year.

Marcus Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th were issued a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.68%. Marcus's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 116.67%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MCS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $20.00 price objective on shares of Marcus in a report on Friday, September 20th. StockNews.com upgraded Marcus from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. B. Riley boosted their price objective on shares of Marcus from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Benchmark raised their target price on shares of Marcus from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd.

Institutional Trading of Marcus

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its holdings in shares of Marcus by 35.7% during the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 21,431 shares of the company's stock worth $305,000 after acquiring an additional 5,640 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Marcus by 133.8% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 436,845 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,227,000 after acquiring an additional 250,019 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of Marcus by 221.8% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 15,168 shares of the company's stock valued at $216,000 after acquiring an additional 10,454 shares in the last quarter. Comerica Bank boosted its position in shares of Marcus by 138.3% during the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 27,523 shares of the company's stock valued at $392,000 after acquiring an additional 15,972 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of Marcus during the 1st quarter valued at about $173,000. Institutional investors own 81.57% of the company's stock.

Marcus Company Profile

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.