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

National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be given a dividend of 0.03 per share by the business services provider on Thursday, June 4th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd.

National CineMedia has decreased its dividend payment by an average of 0.5%per year 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. Research analysts expect National CineMedia to earn $0.13 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 92.3%.

National CineMedia Trading Down 12.6%

Shares of NCMI traded down $0.43 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $2.96. 425,730 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 414,155. The company has a quick ratio of 2.22, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. National CineMedia has a 1 year low of $2.86 and a 1 year high of $5.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $275.64 million, a P/E ratio of -29.26 and a beta of 1.43. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $3.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $3.70.

National CineMedia (NASDAQ:NCMI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 12th. The business services provider reported ($0.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.25) by $0.02. National CineMedia had a negative return on equity of 2.29% and a negative net margin of 4.32%.The firm had revenue of $34.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.92 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that National CineMedia will post 0.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at National CineMedia

In other news, EVP Maria Vg Woods sold 12,066 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.04, for a total value of $36,680.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 143,097 shares in the company, valued at $435,014.88. The trade was a 7.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of National CineMedia

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NCMI. Lunate Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in National CineMedia in the third quarter worth about $36,740,000. Luxor Capital Group LP increased its position in National CineMedia by 29.2% in the third quarter. Luxor Capital Group LP now owns 1,074,058 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,844,000 after buying an additional 242,450 shares in the last quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC increased its position in National CineMedia by 53.3% in the third quarter. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC now owns 119,186 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $538,000 after buying an additional 41,422 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in National CineMedia in the third quarter worth about $123,000. Finally, Inscription Capital LLC purchased a new stake in National CineMedia in the third quarter worth about $58,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.49% of the company’s stock.

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.