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

by · The Cerbat Gem

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Marcus (NYSE:MCS – Free Report) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

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

View Our Latest Research Report on MCS

Marcus Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of Marcus stock opened at $27.08 on Friday. Marcus has a 52-week low of $12.85 and a 52-week high of $32.42. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $28.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $22.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $834.94 million, a P/E ratio of 38.14 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.44.

Marcus (NYSE:MCS – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $231.74 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $217.72 million. Marcus had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 2.67%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Marcus will post 0.81 EPS for the current year.

Marcus Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th were given a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. This is an increase from Marcus’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 25th. Marcus’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.70%.

Insider Activity at Marcus

In related news, Director Diane M. Gershowitz sold 50,000 shares of the business’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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 125,617 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,468,285.37. The trade was a 28.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 16.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Marcus

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Saber Capital Managment LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marcus during the 4th quarter valued at $7,836,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of Marcus in the second quarter worth $6,481,000. Heartland Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Marcus by 24.4% in the first quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 255,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,378,000 after buying an additional 50,000 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Marcus by 2.8% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 181,793 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,121,000 after buying an additional 5,023 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its stake in Marcus by 8.5% during the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 102,006 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,751,000 after buying an additional 8,024 shares during the period. 81.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marcus Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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