For the quarter ended December 2024, National CineMedia (NCMI) reported revenue of $86.3 million, down 5.1% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $0.26, compared to $0.20 in the year-ago quarter.

The reported revenue represents a surprise of +0.12% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $86.2 million. With the consensus EPS estimate being $0.20, the EPS surprise was +30.00%.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

Here is how National CineMedia performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Revenue- Local and regional advertising revenue: $13.50 million compared to the $13.50 million average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of -16.7% year over year.
• Revenue- National advertising revenue: $69.20 million compared to the $68.80 million average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of -3.8% year over year.
• Revenue- Total advertising revenue (excluding beverage): $82.70 million compared to the $84.10 million average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of -6.1% year over year.
• Revenue- ESA advertising revenue from beverage concessionaire agreements: $3.60 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $3.95 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +28.6%.

View all Key Company Metrics for National CineMedia here>>>

Shares of National CineMedia have returned -8.7% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -3.5% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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