Marcus (NYSE:MCS) Sets New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Marcus Corporation (The) (NYSE:MCS) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $24.34 and last traded at $23.48, with a volume of 249669 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $23.85.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the company. B. Riley Financial raised their price objective on Marcus from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of Marcus in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Zacks Research upgraded Marcus from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Weiss Ratings downgraded Marcus from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Wedbush upped their price objective on shares of Marcus from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $24.25.

Marcus Stock Down 1.6%

The company has a market cap of $721.54 million, a P/E ratio of 54.60, a P/E/G ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The business’s 50 day moving average is $19.46 and its 200 day moving average is $17.25.

Marcus (NYSE:MCS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($0.51) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.54) by $0.03. Marcus had a return on equity of 0.79% and a net margin of 1.85%.The company had revenue of $154.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $148.78 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Marcus Corporation will post 0.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marcus Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Marcus’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.42%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marcus news, insider Michael Reade Evans sold 7,671 shares of Marcus stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.04, for a total value of $146,055.84. Following the transaction, the insider owned 45,801 shares in the company, valued at $872,051.04. The trade was a 14.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 16.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Marcus

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Navalign LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marcus in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Marcus by 550.6% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,264 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,916 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in Marcus by 60.2% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 937 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its stake in Marcus by 656.0% in the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 5,761 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,000 after acquiring an additional 4,999 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Marcus by 67.6% in the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,109 shares of the company’s stock valued at $157,000 after acquiring an additional 4,076 shares in the last quarter. 81.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Marcus

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. The company also owns and operates full-service hotels and resorts, as well as manages full-service hotels, resorts, and other properties. In addition, it provides hospitality management services, including check-in, housekeeping, and maintenance for a vacation ownership development; and manages condominium hotels under long-term management contracts.