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Cineplex IncCGX.TOTOP PICKMay 17, 2017Stock 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.
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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.
When people go to movies, they are not now just going to the movies. Some are going to VIP movies. They are going to the enhanced screens. While it used to be a $20 experience, now you can pay $80. They are also opening up rec rooms where you can spend your money before you even go into the movie theatre. When you go on an airplane, movies are brought to you by Cineplex. They also have advertising. A lot of revenue lines. Dividend yield of 3.1%. (Analysts’ price target is $58.50.)