Zazove Associates LLC Has $1.40 Million Stock Position in National CineMedia, Inc. $NCMI

Zazove Associates LLC boosted its holdings in National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) by 78.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 458,939 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 201,564 shares during the quarter. Zazove Associates LLC owned about 0.49% of National CineMedia worth $1,400,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NCMI. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of National CineMedia by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 145,233 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $704,000 after buying an additional 3,110 shares in the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of National CineMedia by 8.1% in the 4th quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 55,439 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $216,000 after acquiring an additional 4,142 shares in the last quarter. Inscription Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of National CineMedia by 32.7% in the 4th quarter. Inscription Capital LLC now owns 17,214 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 4,246 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in National CineMedia by 16.2% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 38,712 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $151,000 after acquiring an additional 5,390 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in National CineMedia by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC now owns 124,626 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $485,000 after purchasing an additional 5,440 shares during the period. 69.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

National CineMedia Price Performance

NCMI opened at $4.01 on Monday. National CineMedia, Inc. has a 1 year low of $2.78 and a 1 year high of $5.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 1.82 and a quick ratio of 1.82. The company has a market capitalization of $376.06 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -44.55 and a beta of 1.38. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $3.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3.50.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 12th. The business services provider reported ($0.23) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.03. National CineMedia had a negative net margin of 3.47% and a negative return on equity of 1.80%. The company had revenue of $34.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.92 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that National CineMedia, Inc. will post -0.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

National CineMedia Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were given a dividend of $0.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. National CineMedia’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -133.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at National CineMedia

In other news, insider Maria Vg Woods sold 12,058 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.77, for a total value of $45,458.66. Following the transaction, the insider owned 163,162 shares in the company, valued at $615,120.74. The trade was a 6.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of National CineMedia from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of National CineMedia from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Wedbush reduced their target price on National CineMedia from $6.50 to $6.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, National CineMedia presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $5.38.

About National CineMedia

National CineMedia, Inc is a leading U.S. out-of-home media company specializing in cinema advertising. The firm operates a proprietary network that delivers high-impact advertising content to moviegoers across a broad footprint of theaters, offering brands a targeted and immersive way to engage audiences in a captive, distraction-free environment.

Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Centennial, Colorado, National CineMedia began as a joint venture among several major exhibition chains.