National CineMedia, Inc. Announces Quarterly Dividend of $0.03 (NASDAQ:NCMI)

National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid a dividend of 0.03 per share by the business services provider on Monday, March 23rd. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th.

National CineMedia has decreased its dividend payment by an average of 1.0%annually over the last three years. National CineMedia has a payout ratio of 133.3% indicating that the company cannot currently cover its dividend with earnings alone and is relying on its balance sheet to cover its dividend payments. Analysts expect National CineMedia to earn $0.21 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.12 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 57.1%.

National CineMedia Price Performance

Shares of NCMI traded up $0.13 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $3.64. The stock had a trading volume of 366,826 shares, compared to its average volume of 338,822. National CineMedia has a 52-week low of $3.17 and a 52-week high of $6.76. The firm has a market cap of $341.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -24.21 and a beta of 1.38. The business’s fifty day moving average is $3.67 and its 200 day moving average is $4.10.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The business services provider reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.03. The company had revenue of ($149.53) million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $92.25 million. National CineMedia had a negative net margin of 6.39% and a negative return on equity of 2.67%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that National CineMedia will post -0.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other National CineMedia news, EVP Maria Vg Woods sold 9,043 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 owned 129,330 shares in the company, valued at $503,093.70. The trade was a 6.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.25% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in National CineMedia during the 1st quarter worth about $43,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of National CineMedia in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Graham Capital Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of National CineMedia during the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of National CineMedia by 103.2% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 12,895 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 6,549 shares during the period. Finally, Inscription Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of National CineMedia during the third quarter worth approximately $58,000. 69.49% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About National CineMedia

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.