National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Sell

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday.

A number of other research firms have also commented on NCMI. Benchmark reiterated a “speculative buy” rating and issued a $6.00 price target on shares of National CineMedia in a research report on Tuesday. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $5.50 target price on shares of National CineMedia in a report on Tuesday. Finally, B. Riley upgraded National CineMedia from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $4.50 to $6.75 in a report on Tuesday, March 19th.

National CineMedia Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of National CineMedia stock traded up $0.08 on Wednesday, hitting $4.69. The stock had a trading volume of 493,777 shares, compared to its average volume of 653,348. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $4.68 and a 200 day moving average of $4.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 2.46 and a current ratio of 2.46. National CineMedia has a twelve month low of $2.57 and a twelve month high of $5.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $455.05 million, a P/E ratio of 0.14 and a beta of 1.93.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 18th. The business services provider reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.10 by ($0.01). National CineMedia had a net margin of 426.68% and a negative return on equity of 22.42%. The business had revenue of $90.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $77.25 million. Sell-side analysts expect that National CineMedia will post 0.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of National CineMedia

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in National CineMedia by 35.6% during the fourth quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 4,740,197 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $19,624,000 after purchasing an additional 1,245,650 shares during the last quarter. Glendon Capital Management LP purchased a new position in National CineMedia in the third quarter valued at about $7,538,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in National CineMedia in the fourth quarter valued at about $5,914,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in National CineMedia by 16.3% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,336,947 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $5,535,000 after acquiring an additional 187,613 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PSquared Asset Management AG purchased a new position in National CineMedia in the third quarter valued at about $3,067,000. 69.49% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About National CineMedia

National CineMedia, Inc, through its subsidiary, National CineMedia, LLC, operates cinema advertising network in North America. It engages in the sale of advertising to national, regional, and local businesses in Noovie, a cinema advertising and entertainment show seen on movie screens; and sells advertising on its Lobby Entertainment Network, a series of strategically-placed screens located in movie theater lobbies, as well as other forms of advertising and promotions in theatre lobbies.