Ancora Advisors LLC Trims Stake in National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI)

Ancora Advisors LLC trimmed its position in National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,908,221 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 95,507 shares during the quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC owned 2.01% of National CineMedia worth $12,671,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in NCMI. Kings Path Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of National CineMedia in the fourth quarter valued at about $408,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of National CineMedia by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 476,468 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,164,000 after purchasing an additional 7,130 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of National CineMedia by 39.7% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 43,210 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $287,000 after purchasing an additional 12,281 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in shares of National CineMedia by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 107,069 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $711,000 after purchasing an additional 3,219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC purchased a new position in National CineMedia during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $93,000. Institutional investors own 69.49% of the company’s stock.

National CineMedia Trading Up 0.5 %

NASDAQ NCMI opened at $5.68 on Friday. National CineMedia, Inc. has a 12-month low of $4.12 and a 12-month high of $7.60. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $5.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $6.51. The company has a current ratio of 2.46, a quick ratio of 2.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The stock has a market cap of $540.69 million, a P/E ratio of -22.72 and a beta of 1.92.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The business services provider reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $86.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $84.77 million. National CineMedia had a negative return on equity of 2.61% and a negative net margin of 9.49%. On average, analysts forecast that National CineMedia, Inc. will post -0.12 earnings per share for the current year.

National CineMedia Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a — dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 24th were given a dividend of $0.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 24th. National CineMedia’s dividend payout ratio is presently -52.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on NCMI shares. StockNews.com raised National CineMedia from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $7.50 target price on shares of National CineMedia in a report on Thursday. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $8.00 price target on shares of National CineMedia in a report on Friday, March 7th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $7.00 target price on shares of National CineMedia in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $7.50 price target on shares of National CineMedia in a report on Friday, March 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $7.70.

Insider Buying and Selling at National CineMedia

In related news, major shareholder Blantyre Capital Ltd purchased 103,685 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $5.18 per share, with a total value of $537,088.30. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now owns 10,310,433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $53,408,042.94. The trade was a 1.02 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

National CineMedia Company Profile

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.