Marcus (NYSE:MCS) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Marcus (NYSE:MCS) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on MCS. Weiss Ratings upgraded Marcus from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Wedbush upped their price objective on Marcus from $23.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Benchmark increased their price objective on Marcus from $22.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Barrington Research set a $33.00 price objective on Marcus in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research cut Marcus from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marcus currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.25.

Marcus Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCS opened at $28.48 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $28.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $23.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.44 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $878.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.11 and a beta of 0.58. Marcus has a one year low of $12.85 and a one year high of $32.42.

Marcus (NYSE:MCS) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 2.67%. The company had revenue of $231.74 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $217.72 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Marcus will post 0.80 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marcus Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th were paid a $0.09 dividend. This is a boost from Marcus’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 25th. Marcus’s payout ratio is presently 50.70%.

Insider Transactions at Marcus

In other Marcus news, Director Diane M. Gershowitz sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 125,617 shares in the company, valued at $3,468,285.37. This represents a 28.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 16.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of MCS. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in Marcus in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,481,000. Heartland Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Marcus by 24.4% in the first quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 255,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,378,000 after purchasing an additional 50,000 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in 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. Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Marcus by 8.5% during the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 102,006 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,751,000 after purchasing an additional 8,024 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Marcus by 1.8% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 89,332 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,534,000 after purchasing an additional 1,556 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.57% of the company’s stock.

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.