Marcus (NYSE:MCS) Hits New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Marcus Corporation (The) (NYSE:MCS)’s share price hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $24.34 and last traded at $23.48, with a volume of 249669 shares. The stock had previously closed at $23.85.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Marcus Stock Down 1.8%

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 company has a market capitalization of $718.77 million, a PE ratio of 54.40, a PEG ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.55. The company’s 50 day moving average is $19.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.37.

Marcus (NYSE:MCS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($0.51) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.54) by $0.03. Marcus had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 0.79%. The business had revenue of $154.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $148.78 million. On average, analysts anticipate that Marcus Corporation will post 0.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Marcus Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. Marcus’s payout ratio is 74.42%.

Insider Activity at Marcus

In related news, insider Michael Reade Evans sold 7,671 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.04, for a total transaction of $146,055.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 45,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $872,051.04. This represents a 14.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 16.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Marcus

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Marcus during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,594,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its position in Marcus by 12.3% in the fourth quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 915,835 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,205,000 after purchasing an additional 100,480 shares during the last quarter. Saber Capital Managment LLC bought a new stake in Marcus in the fourth quarter worth $7,836,000. Teton Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Marcus during the third quarter valued at $1,070,000. Finally, Bastion Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Marcus by 70.1% during the fourth quarter. Bastion Asset Management Inc. now owns 374,612 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,716,000 after purchasing an additional 154,439 shares in the last quarter. 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. 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.