Marcus (NYSE:MCS) Shares Up 8.1% – Time to Buy?

Shares of The Marcus Co. (NYSE:MCS) traded up 8.1% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $17.49 and last traded at $17.55. 16,252 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 92% from the average session volume of 209,142 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.23.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MCS shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Marcus from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $25.00 target price on shares of Marcus in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Marcus in a research note on Thursday, February 27th.

Marcus Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $19.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $19.05. The company has a market capitalization of $561.35 million, a P/E ratio of -52.00, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.57.

Marcus Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th were issued a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 25th. Marcus’s dividend payout ratio is currently -107.69%.

Institutional Trading of Marcus

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MCS. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Marcus during the 4th quarter worth approximately $680,000. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Marcus by 135.3% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 392,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,913,000 after purchasing an additional 225,644 shares in the last quarter. Range Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marcus during the fourth quarter worth $882,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Marcus by 142.0% in the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 83,101 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,252,000 after buying an additional 48,759 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of Marcus in the fourth quarter valued at about $274,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.57% of the company’s stock.

About Marcus

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.