Short Interest in National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) Rises By 53.1%

National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,190,000 shares, an increase of 53.1% from the June 30th total of 3,390,000 shares. Currently, 8.2% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 700,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 7.4 days.

National CineMedia Stock Up 3.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ NCMI traded up $0.17 during trading on Friday, reaching $5.71. The company had a trading volume of 309,513 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,006,143. National CineMedia has a 12-month low of $2.75 and a 12-month high of $5.90. The stock has a market cap of $551.43 million, a PE ratio of 0.17 and a beta of 2.03. The business’s 50-day moving average is $4.92 and its 200 day moving average is $4.62. The company has a quick ratio of 2.76, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 6th. The business services provider reported ($0.19) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.08) by ($0.11). National CineMedia had a return on equity of 3.45% and a net margin of 426.76%. The company had revenue of $34.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.73 million. As a group, equities analysts forecast that National CineMedia will post 0.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on NCMI shares. Benchmark reiterated a “speculative buy” rating and issued a $6.00 price objective on shares of National CineMedia in a report on Monday, June 17th. StockNews.com downgraded National CineMedia from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $5.50 target price on shares of National CineMedia in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National CineMedia

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of National CineMedia by 37.6% during the first quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 1,966,355 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $10,127,000 after buying an additional 537,822 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of National CineMedia by 16.3% during 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 buying an additional 187,613 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of National CineMedia by 38.9% during the first quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 23,897 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $123,000 after buying an additional 6,690 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of National CineMedia during the fourth quarter valued at $218,000. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 valued at $19,624,000 after buying an additional 1,245,650 shares during the last quarter. 69.49% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.