Marcus (NYSE:MCS) Sets New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Shares of The Marcus Co. (NYSE:MCS) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $16.26 and last traded at $16.19, with a volume of 151760 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.98.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Marcus from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $20.00 target price on shares of Marcus in a research note on Friday, September 20th. B. Riley lifted their price target on Marcus from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Benchmark upped their price objective on Marcus from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd.

Marcus Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $529.91 million, a P/E ratio of 68.67 and a beta of 1.52. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $14.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $12.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.51 and a quick ratio of 0.51.

Marcus (NYSE:MCS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported ($0.17) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.03 by ($0.20). The business had revenue of $176.03 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $170.74 million. Marcus had a negative return on equity of 1.36% and a negative net margin of 3.11%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.35 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Marcus Co. will post -0.04 EPS for the current year.

Marcus Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th were given a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.70%. Marcus’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 116.67%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marcus

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its position in Marcus by 35.7% during the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 21,431 shares of the company’s stock worth $305,000 after acquiring an additional 5,640 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marcus by 133.8% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 436,845 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,227,000 after purchasing an additional 250,019 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Marcus by 221.8% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 15,168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $216,000 after purchasing an additional 10,454 shares during the last quarter. Comerica Bank grew its holdings in Marcus by 138.3% during the first quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 27,523 shares of the company’s stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 15,972 shares during the period. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System acquired a new position in Marcus during the first quarter worth approximately $173,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.57% of the company’s stock.

Marcus Company Profile

The Marcus Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates movie theatres, and hotels and resorts in the United States. It operates a family entertainment center and multiscreen motion picture theatres under the Big Screen Bistro, Big Screen Bistro Express, BistroPlex, and Movie Tavern by Marcus brand names.