Should You Buy AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc (AMC) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.
Conclusion
Sell
Latest Price
1.430
1 Day change
-1.38%
52 Week Range
4.080
Analysis Updated At
2026/01/28
AMC is not a good buy right now for a beginner long-term investor with $50k–$100k who wants to act immediately. The stock remains in a clear downtrend, analysts are cutting targets (including a major cut to $1.75), and the dominant fundamental story is ongoing financing/debt pressure with expectations of continued cash burn and likely dilution. Even though the price is near support and options positioning looks aggressively call-heavy, that setup fits short-term speculation more than a long-term beginner-friendly investment.
Technical Analysis
Trend/structure: Bearish. Moving averages are stacked bearishly (SMA_200 > SMA_20 > SMA_5), indicating a sustained longer-term downtrend.
Momentum: MACD histogram is slightly positive (0.0138) but “positively contracting,” which often suggests weakening upside momentum after a small bounce. RSI(6) at ~30.25 is near oversold conditions, consistent with a weak tape that can bounce but is not a durable trend reversal signal by itself.
Key levels (pre-market ~1.46): Immediate support is S1 ~1.468 (being tested) then S2 ~1.392. Resistance is the pivot ~1.59, then R1 ~1.712 and R2 ~1.788. For a durable turn, AMC would need to reclaim and hold above ~1.59–1.71; right now it’s trading below those levels.
Pattern-based odds (provided): Similar-pattern projection leans negative over 1-week (-1.13%) and 1-month (-4.3%), reinforcing the bearish bias.
Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals
- [AI Stock Picker](module://ai_stock_pick): No signal on given stock today.
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Options Data
Bullish
Open Interest Put-Call Ratio
Bullish
Option Volume Put-Call Ratio
Sentiment from options: Strongly call-skewed. Put/call ratios are very low on both open interest (0.2) and volume (0.14), suggesting traders are positioning more for upside than downside.
Volatility: Implied vol (30d) ~67.33 vs historical vol ~44.2, so options are pricing elevated movement. IV rank/percentile (~21–23) indicates IV isn’t at extreme highs relative to its own history, but it is high in absolute terms.
Flow/activity: Today’s options volume (~45k) is below the 5D/10D averages (~57k/64k). That means sentiment is call-leaning, but not on unusually heavy participation.
Interpretation: Options positioning looks speculative-bullish, but it doesn’t override the dominant bearish trend and financing overhang for a long-term beginner profile.
Technical Summary
Sell
10
Buy
4
Positive Catalysts
2026/01/28 07:15:09
- Box office tailwind from major releases (news notes recent "Avatar" franchise success helped a slight uptick).
- If debt talks/bondholder negotiations meaningfully reduce near-term refinancing risk, sentiment could improve.
- Any upside surprise on the upcoming earnings report (QDEC 2025 earnings on 2026-02-24) could trigger a short-term rebound given depressed price levels.
Neutral/Negative Catalysts
2026/01/28 07:15:09
- Financing pressure remains the central narrative; news highlights confidential talks with bondholders for debt due Feb 2029—market reads this as continued balance-sheet stress.
- Analyst skepticism on cash generation: commentary explicitly expects free cash flow to remain negative and flags likelihood of additional equity issuance (dilution risk).
- The stock is down ~54.6% over the past year (per news), consistent with a persistent downtrend.
- Upcoming earnings (2026-02-24 after hours) is an event risk; estimates call for a loss, and any miss or weak outlook could pressure the shares further.
- No supportive signal from hedge fund/insider trend data: both are Neutral with no notable accumulation.
Financial Performance
Latest reported quarter: 2025/Q3.
- Revenue: $1.300B, down 3.60% YoY (top-line contraction).
- Net income: -$298.2M (still a sizable loss), though improved sharply YoY (improvement off a very weak prior-year base).
- EPS: -$0.58, improved YoY but still meaningfully negative.
- Gross margin: ~59.98%, up ~1.52% YoY.
Bottom line: Margins and losses improved year-over-year, but the company remains unprofitable and the broader commentary from analysts points to ongoing negative free cash flow and potential dilution—unfavorable for a long-term beginner investor.
Growth
Profitability
Efficiency
Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends
Recent trend: Worsening/defensive. Price targets have been cut and the bias remains Neutral-to-Sell.
- 2026-01-22: B. Riley cut PT to $1.75 from $3.25; kept Neutral (large downward revision).
- 2025-11-13: Citi cut PT to $2.30 from $2.70; kept Sell.
- 2025-11-12: Roth kept Neutral and $3 PT; noted positives (market share gains, refinancing progress) but expects negative FCF and likely further equity issuance.
Wall Street pros: potential box office recovery, share gains, and incremental refinancing progress.
Wall Street cons: persistent negative cash flow/profitability, high leverage/refinancing overhang, and dilution risk—these are the dominant long-term headwinds.
Influential/political trading check: No recent congress trading data available in the last 90 days.
Wall Street analysts forecast AMC stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for AMC is 2.15 USD with a low forecast of 1.3 USD and a high forecast of 3 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
4 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast AMC stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for AMC is 2.15 USD with a low forecast of 1.3 USD and a high forecast of 3 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
0 Buy
3 Hold
1 Sell
Hold
Current: 1.450
Low
1.3
Averages
2.15
High
3
Current: 1.450
Low
1.3
Averages
2.15
High
3
B. Riley
Neutral
downgrade
AI Analysis
2026-01-22
Reason
B. Riley
Price Target
AI Analysis
2026-01-22
downgrade
Neutral
Reason
B. Riley lowered the firm's price target on AMC Entertainment (AMC) to $1.75 from $3.25 and keeps a Neutral rating on the shares. The firm reviewed 4Q25 and previews exhibitor earnings with a slightly more subdued but still positive outlook following a weak holiday box office, a reassessed film slate, and potential valuation pressure from Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD)-related developments, the analyst tells investors in a research note.
Citi
Sell
downgrade
2025-11-13
Reason
Citi
Price Target
2025-11-13
downgrade
Sell
Reason
Citi lowered the firm's price target on AMC Entertainment to $2.30 from $2.70 and keeps a Sell rating on the shares. The firm updated the company's model to reflect the Q3 report.
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