Marcus (NYSE:MCS) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Marcus (NYSE:MCS) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on MCS. B. Riley Financial downgraded shares of Marcus from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $27.00 to $29.00 in a report on Friday, July 31st. Wedbush lifted their target price on shares of Marcus from $23.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Benchmark boosted their target price on shares of Marcus from $22.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Marcus from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Marcus from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. One research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marcus presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $32.25.

Marcus Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of MCS stock opened at $26.66 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $28.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.02. Marcus has a twelve month low of $12.85 and a twelve month high of $32.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.44. The company has a market capitalization of $821.80 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.54 and a beta of 0.58.

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

Marcus Increases Dividend

The firm 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 is a positive change from Marcus’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 25th. Marcus’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.70%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Diane M. Gershowitz sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 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 SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 16.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Marcus

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new position in shares of Marcus during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $290,000. Susquehanna International Group LLP lifted its holdings in Marcus by 183.1% during the 2nd quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP now owns 47,094 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,105,000 after purchasing an additional 30,457 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Marcus during the second quarter worth $6,481,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Marcus by 1.8% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 89,332 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,534,000 after purchasing an additional 1,556 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marcus by 2.8% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 181,793 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,121,000 after purchasing an additional 5,023 shares during the last quarter. 81.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Marcus

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.