National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) Announces Earnings Results

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The business services provider reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.03, FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of ($149.53) million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $92.25 million. National CineMedia had a negative return on equity of 2.67% and a negative net margin of 6.39%.

Here are the key takeaways from National CineMedia’s conference call:

• NCM reported a strong fourth quarter with $93.2 million in total revenue (up ~8% YoY) and $37.2 million of Adjusted OIBDA (up 6% YoY), driven by healthy advertiser demand and improved inventory monetization.
• Programmatic and self-serve offerings gained traction—programmatic revenue grew 100% year-over-year and self-serve was up 64%—expanding access to inventory and attracting more advertisers.
• Reported attendance benefited from a fiscal 53rd week (Q4 attendance 107M; normalized estimate ~92M, down ~9% YoY), and unlevered free cash flow fell to $6.1 million from $28.3M due to receivables timing and prior-year prepayments.
• Strategic moves—an extended AMC agreement that standardized show structure and the acquisition of Spotlight (adding luxury screens)—are improving campaign planning, premium inventory monetization, and appeal to high-end advertisers.
• Q1 2026 guidance reflects headwinds: revenue of $32.5M–$36.5M and Adjusted OIBDA of −$13M to −$10M, driven by the loss of the holiday week, reduced beverage revenue, and Olympic-related advertiser shifts.

National CineMedia Stock Up 2.0%

NCMI traded up $0.07 on Friday, hitting $3.58. 1,540,503 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 370,107. The company has a 50 day moving average of $3.67 and a 200-day moving average of $4.10. National CineMedia has a 12-month low of $3.17 and a 12-month high of $6.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $335.91 million, a PE ratio of -23.87 and a beta of 1.38.

National CineMedia Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th will be given a $0.03 dividend. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. National CineMedia’s payout ratio is -80.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on NCMI shares. Barrington Research decreased their price objective on shares of National CineMedia from $6.50 to $5.50 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Zacks Research raised National CineMedia from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Benchmark dropped their price objective on National CineMedia from $7.00 to $6.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of National CineMedia in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, B. Riley Financial decreased their target price on National CineMedia from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $5.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other National CineMedia news, EVP Maria Vg Woods sold 9,043 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.89, for a total value of $35,177.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 129,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $503,093.70. This trade represents a 6.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of National CineMedia

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NCMI. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in National CineMedia in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Graham Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of National CineMedia in the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of National CineMedia in the first quarter valued at about $43,000. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National CineMedia in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of National CineMedia by 103.2% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 12,895 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 6,549 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.49% of the company’s stock.

Key National CineMedia News

Here are the key news stories impacting National CineMedia this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat on key metrics — NCMI reported $0.28 EPS vs. $0.25 consensus, and said fourth-quarter revenue grew ~8% year-over-year; management also said adjusted OIBDA exceeded guidance, signaling improving operating leverage. NATIONAL CINEMEDIA, INC. REPORTS RESULTS FOR FISCAL FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL YEAR 2025
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared — the board approved a $0.03 quarterly dividend (3.3% yield), which supports income-oriented investors and can help stabilize the share price. (Company announcement)
• Positive Sentiment: Growth strategy highlighted — management outlined a 2026 plan emphasizing premium inventory and local expansion to drive revenue growth, offering a clearer path to top-line scaling. National CineMedia outlines 2026 revenue growth strategy with premium inventory and local expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Post-release correction — the company issued a correcting/replacing release to fix an operating-data table (ESA Party Screens count), a technical correction that doesn’t materially change the headline results. CORRECTING and REPLACING National CineMedia, Inc. Reports Results for Fiscal Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor resources — transcripts and analyst write-ups (earnings call highlights, Zacks/S.A. recap) are available for deeper detail on metrics and management commentary; these help interpret sustainability of the beat. National CineMedia Q4-2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Cautious Q1 guide — the company’s Q1 revenue guidance (~$32.5M–$36.5M) was below Street estimates (~$40M), introducing near-term growth risk and leaving EPS guidance unclear, which likely tempers upside. (Company guidance / coverage)
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst skepticism — some analysts have trimmed price targets and narratives are evolving, reflecting caution about the pace of recovery and the company’s ability to sustain margin improvement. How The National CineMedia (NCMI) Narrative Is Evolving As Analysts Trim Price Targets

National CineMedia Company Profile

National CineMedia, Inc is a leading U.S. out-of-home media company specializing in cinema advertising. The firm operates a proprietary network that delivers high-impact advertising content to moviegoers across a broad footprint of theaters, offering brands a targeted and immersive way to engage audiences in a captive, distraction-free environment.

Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Centennial, Colorado, National CineMedia began as a joint venture among several major exhibition chains.