Wall Street Zen Upgrades Marcus (NYSE:MCS) to “Strong-Buy”

Marcus (NYSE:MCS) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on MCS. Weiss Ratings raised Marcus from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Wedbush raised their target price on Marcus from $23.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Benchmark boosted their price target on Marcus from $22.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Barrington Research set a $33.00 price target on Marcus in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, B. Riley Financial lowered Marcus from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $27.00 to $29.00 in a research note on Friday, July 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $32.25.

Marcus Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of MCS opened at $27.08 on Friday. Marcus has a 12-month low of $12.85 and a 12-month high of $32.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $834.94 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.14 and a beta of 0.58. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $28.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $22.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Marcus (NYSE:MCS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $231.74 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $217.72 million. Marcus had a return on equity of 2.67% and a net margin of 2.87%. As a group, research analysts predict that Marcus will post 0.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marcus

In other news, Director Diane M. Gershowitz sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.61, for a total transaction of $1,380,500.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 125,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,468,285.37. This represents a 28.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 16.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MCS. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Marcus during the second quarter valued at $290,000. Susquehanna International Group LLP raised its holdings in Marcus by 183.1% during the 2nd quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP now owns 47,094 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,105,000 after purchasing an additional 30,457 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Marcus during the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,481,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Marcus by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 89,332 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,534,000 after purchasing an additional 1,556 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marcus by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 181,793 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,121,000 after purchasing an additional 5,023 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.57% of the company’s stock.

Marcus Company Profile

Marcus Corporation (NYSE:MCS) is a Wisconsin-based company operating in the entertainment and lodging industries. Its business is organized primarily through Marcus Theatres and Marcus Hotels & Resorts, serving customers across selected markets in the United States.

Marcus Theatres operates movie theaters that offer first-run films, premium large-format and other enhanced viewing experiences, food and beverage services, and other entertainment amenities. The division also operates theaters under the Marcus, Movie Tavern, and BistroPlex brands.

Marcus Hotels & Resorts owns, manages, or develops hotels and resorts in various U.S.