Zazove Associates LLC Acquires 201,564 Shares of National CineMedia, Inc. $NCMI

Zazove Associates LLC increased its stake in National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) by 78.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 458,939 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 201,564 shares during the quarter. Zazove Associates LLC’s holdings in National CineMedia were worth $1,400,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in National CineMedia by 2.2% during the second 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 during the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC boosted its stake in National CineMedia by 8.1% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Inscription Capital LLC boosted its stake in National CineMedia by 32.7% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in shares of National CineMedia by 16.2% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 38,712 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $151,000 after acquiring an additional 5,390 shares during the period. Finally, Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of National CineMedia by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC now owns 124,626 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $485,000 after acquiring an additional 5,440 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 69.49% of the company’s stock.

National CineMedia Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NCMI opened at $4.01 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $376.06 million, a PE ratio of -44.55 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.82, a current ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $3.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $3.50. National CineMedia, Inc. has a twelve month low of $2.78 and a twelve month high of $5.03.

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

National CineMedia Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd were paid a $0.03 dividend. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. National CineMedia’s payout ratio is currently -133.33%.

Insider Transactions at National CineMedia

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on NCMI shares. Weiss Ratings cut shares of National CineMedia from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Wedbush reduced their price objective on National CineMedia from $6.50 to $6.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised National CineMedia from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, National CineMedia currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.