Riverwater Partners LLC Has $1.80 Million Stock Holdings in National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI)

Riverwater Partners LLC raised its position in National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) by 296.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 270,307 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 202,164 shares during the period. Riverwater Partners LLC’s holdings in National CineMedia were worth $1,795,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in shares of National CineMedia by 3.1% in 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. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake 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 buying an additional 7,130 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of National CineMedia by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 728,915 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,840,000 after acquiring an additional 7,218 shares during the period. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in shares of National CineMedia during the 4th quarter worth about $53,000. Finally, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of National CineMedia by 16.3% during the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 65,424 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $434,000 after acquiring an additional 9,147 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.49% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at National CineMedia

In related news, major shareholder Blantyre Capital Ltd acquired 103,685 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $5.18 per share, with a total value of $537,088.30. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now directly owns 10,310,433 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,408,042.94. This trade represents a 1.02 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

National CineMedia Price Performance

National CineMedia stock opened at $5.72 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $6.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $6.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 2.46 and a current ratio of 2.46. The firm has a market cap of $544.60 million, a P/E ratio of -22.88 and a beta of 2.19. National CineMedia, Inc. has a 52 week low of $4.12 and a 52 week high of $7.60.

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

National CineMedia Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a — dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 24th. National CineMedia’s dividend payout ratio is currently -52.17%.

National CineMedia 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.