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MCSMarcus Corporation (The)Sell4.6·$23.85+2.80%
SellModerate Confidence
Investment thesis

Marcus Corporation has a perfect 4-quarter EPS beat streak and strong cash conversion, but an elevated forward P/E, a flagged dividend yield trap, and momentum that has failed the engine's threshold all support the quality-floor exit signal.

Thesis pillars

  • Elevated ValuationStable
  • Earnings Beat StreakStable
  • Dividend Yield Trap WarningStable
  • +1 more pillar — see the Why tab for full reasoning

Full reasoning →

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Marcus Corporation (The) (MCS) Stock Analysis

Range Bound setup · Catalyst-Driven edge

SellModerate Confidence

Communication Services · Entertainment

Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $23.85: a dimension score below its floor triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 4.6/10. Specifically: Below-average business quality; Negative price momentum.

Marcus Corporation operates in two segments - movie theatres and hotels/resorts - running 78 movie theatres with 985 screens across 17 states as the fourth-largest U.S. theatre circuit, plus seven owned hotels and resorts and nine managed properties totaling roughly 4,700 rooms... Read more

$23.85+5.1% A.UpsideScore 4.6/10#28 of 34 Entertainment
QualityF-score8 / 9FCF yield4.38%
IncomeYield1.38%(5y avg 2.10%)Payout70.45%
Stop $21.58Target $24.39(resistance)A.R:R -0.7:1
Analyst target$24.25+1.7%4 analysts
$24.39our TP
$23.85price
$24.25mean
$22
$27

Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $23.85: a dimension score below its floor triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 4.6/10. Specifically: Below-average business quality; Negative price momentum. Chart setup: RSI 57 mid-range, Bollinger mid-band. Score 4.6/10, moderate confidence.

Passes 5/8 gates (clean insider activity, news events none recent, earnings proximity 26d clear, semi cycle peak clear, materials cycle peak clear). Fails on weak momentum and favorable risk/reward ratio. Suitability: aggressive.

10-K grounded · weekly refresh

About Marcus Corporation (The)

About Marcus Corporation (The)

Marcus Corporation operates 78 movie theatres with 985 screens across 17 states, the fourth-largest theatre circuit in the United States, alongside seven owned hotels and nine managed properties totaling roughly 4,700 rooms. Its Magical Movie Rewards loyalty program counts approximately 6.9 million members, who generated about 50% of box office transactions in fiscal 2025, complemented by the $9.99-per-month Marcus Movie Club launched in November 2024.

Marcus earns revenue from box office admissions, concessions and ancillary lines such as pre-show advertising sold through Screenvision and National CineMedia, alongside room, banquet and food-and-beverage revenue from its hotels and resorts segment. The company depends on major studios for film supply: the film distribution business is highly concentrated, with six major distributors accounting for approximately 84% of U.S. box office revenue in 2025, and its top 15 performing films made up 49% of fiscal 2025 admission revenue, up from 42% in fiscal 2018, reflecting growing reliance on blockbuster releases. On the lodging side, Marcus owns The Pfister, Hilton Milwaukee, Grand Geneva Resort & Spa and other properties concentrated in Wisconsin, while also managing third-party hotels such as The Garland in North Hollywood under fee-based management contracts that earn base and incentive management fees.

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A structural risk specific to Marcus's lodging segment is subsidized new supply: state and federal programs such as EB-5 create incentives for competing hotel development that the 10-K warns can destabilize occupancy, room rates and profitability in markets where Marcus operates. On the theatre side, the video release window has compressed from roughly six months a decade ago to as little as 17 days for premium video-on-demand, shortening the exclusivity period Marcus's screens hold over new releases before competing home-viewing options become available.

See also: Communication Services · Entertainment

From Marcus Corporation (The)'s most recent 10-K filing, extracted July 6, 2026.

TrendMatrix Research · upcoming catalyst calendar

Upcoming dated catalysts

Fri, Jul 31, 202626d to earnings· next earnings call

Thesis

Rewards
No bull case signals
Risks
Concentration risk — Supplier: six major film distributors (84.0%)
Target reached (-11.2% upside)
Quality below floor (3.6 < 4.0)

Key Metrics

P/E (TTM)52.7
P/E (Fwd)43.0
Mkt Cap$713M
EV/EBITDA11.4
Profit Mgn2.0%
ROE3.2%
Rev Growth3.7%
Beta0.50
Dividend1.38%
Rating analysts9

Quality Signals

Piotroski F8/9

Options Flow

IV110%elevated
Max Pain$5-79.0% vs spot

Concentration Risks(10-K Item 1A)

  • MEDIUMProducttop 15 films49%
    10-K Item 1: 'our top 15 films accounted for 54% and 49% of our fiscal 2024 and 2025 total admission revenues, respectively'
  • HIGHSuppliersix major film distributors84%
    10-K Item 1A: 'The film distribution business is highly concentrated, with six major film distributors accounting for approximately 84% of U.S. box office revenues during 2025.'

Material Events(8-K, last 90d)

  • 2026-04-30Item 5.02MEDIUM
    Mark A. Gramz, President of Marcus Theatres, will retire effective May 1, 2026 (revised from an initially announced March 31, 2026 date); Jeffry F. Tomachek, currently CFO of Marcus Theatres, will succeed him as President. Gramz will continue as an independent-contractor advisor after retirement.
    SEC filing →

Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

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Performance. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Performance figures reflect the published model only and do not reflect any individual subscriber's actual results.

Methodology · Editorial policy & full disclaimer

Rating Breakdown

2 floor-breakers

Quality below the gate floor. Component breakdown shows what dragged the score down.static

Operating Margin
0.0
Roa
0.9
Net Margin
1.0
Roe
1.1
Current Ratio
1.4
Gross Margin
4.2
Moat
5.2
Piotroski F
8.9
Fcf Quality
10.0
Excellent cash conversion: 221% FCF/NINo competitive moatStrong Piotroski F-Score: 8/9

Momentum below the gate floor. Component breakdown shows what dragged the score down.static

Volume
0.7
Obv
1.0
Macd
1.6
Rsi
5.5
Ma Position
9.0
Volume distribution (falling OBV)Above 200-day MA
GatesMomentum 3.6<4.5A.R:R -0.7=NEGATIVEExecutive change: officer departure/appointmentInsider activity: OKNEWS EVENTS NONE RECENTEARNINGS PROXIMITY 26d clearSEMI CYCLE PEAK CLEARMATERIALS CYCLE PEAK CLEARRange BoundSuitability: Aggressive
RSI
57 · Neutral
20D MA 50D MA 200D MAGOLDEN CROSSSupport $19.54Resistance $24.89

Price Targets

$22
$24
A.Upside+2.3%
A.R:R-0.7:1

Position Sizing

ConvictionNone
Suggested %0.5%
Max %1%
RegimeSteady

Risk Alerts

! Target reached (-11.2% upside)
! Quality below floor (3.6 < 4.0)
! momentum at 3.6 (below the engine's 4.5 threshold)

Earnings

B
B
B
B
4/4 beats
Next Earnings2026-07-31 (26d)

Verdict History

reverse chrono — latest first
Loading history...
Verdicts are recorded on every nightly pipeline run. Rows capture transitions (verdict flips, score deltas ≥0.3, entry/TP/SL changes). Rows with a ▶ can be expanded to see the change reason. Aggregate cohort performance is tracked in the recommendation ledger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is MCS stock a buy right now?

Sell if holding. Engine safety override at $23.85: a dimension score below its floor triggers a hard block regardless of the otherwise-positive setup — overall score 4.6/10. Specifically: Below-average business quality; Negative price momentum. Chart setup: RSI 57 mid-range, Bollinger mid-band. Prior stop was $21.58. Score 4.6/10, moderate confidence.

What is the MCS stock price target?

Take-profit target: $24.39 (+5.1% upside). Prior stop was $21.58. Stop-loss: $21.58.

What are the risks of investing in MCS?

Concentration risk — Supplier: six major film distributors (84.0%); Target reached (-11.2% upside); Quality below floor (3.6 < 4.0).

Is MCS overvalued or undervalued?

Marcus Corporation (The) trades at a P/E of 52.7 (forward 43.0). TrendMatrix value score: 4.3/10. Verdict: Sell.

What do analysts say about MCS?

9 analysts cover MCS with a consensus score of 4.2/5. Average price target: $24.

What does Marcus Corporation (The) do?Marcus Corporation operates in two segments - movie theatres and hotels/resorts - running 78 movie theatres with 985...

Marcus Corporation operates in two segments - movie theatres and hotels/resorts - running 78 movie theatres with 985 screens across 17 states as the fourth-largest U.S. theatre circuit, plus seven owned hotels and resorts and nine managed properties totaling roughly 4,700 rooms concentrated in Wisconsin, Illinois and Nebraska. The company earns revenue from box office admissions, concessions, food and beverage, and hotel room/banquet revenue, with roughly 6.9 million loyalty program members generating about half of box office transactions in fiscal 2025.

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