50% off Premium Yearly
Cineplex IncCGX.TOTOP PICKMay 12, 2015Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jun 19, 2026. Market Open.
Revenue growth is coming back a bit, with lower comparables from last year helping the year-over-year figures. Its debt levels are high, with net debt of $1.9B, and a net debt/EBITDA of 6.8X. Interest costs are $137M (last 12 months) and these will likely rise a bit with higher rates. 12-month cash flow was $116M and therein lies the problem. The debt is mostly due in the next five years. With attendance back, and a decent film slate, bankruptcy is becoming less of a concern, but it is still hard to paint a really positive picture here because of the leverage.
It is somewhat cheap (0.4X forward sales), but also has a fairly high forward P/E of 20.2X. It could become a takeover target, however, we would not place a high level of probability on that at these current levels.
Unlock Premium - Try 5i Free
Cineplex remains a recovery story, and its beta of 2.88 signals more risk than usual. It rose 10% in Q1, but the chart was choppy. So, consider Cineplex a partial buy. After all, Covid didn’t kill cinema-going, as some expected, but deferred it. We still love the big screen. Read Dark horses: Nuvei, Cineplex, Boralex for our full analysis.
A theatre operator with about an 80% share in Canada. Has been a bit weak in the last couple of quarters. Very high quality management. They continue to increase the concession spend through new offerings and making it easier for patrons to buy food. Also, have alternative formats such as VIP, 3-D, IMAX along with off-hour showings like ballet and sporting events. Expecting a pretty strong slate of movies in the back half of this year and going into 2016. Starting to increase the dividend yield which is currently 3.07%.