Should I Buy CNK? CNK 2026 Analysis

Should You Buy Cinemark Holdings Inc (CNK) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Conclusion

Hold

Latest Price

23.200

1 Day change

-0.13%

52 Week Range

34.010

Analysis Updated At

2026/01/28

CNK is not a good buy right now for a beginner, long-term investor who is impatient about timing. The setup is currently mixed-to-bearish (heavy put volume, weakening recent quarter results, and no proprietary buy signals), with downside risk into the ~$22.6–$23.2 support zone before a clearer long-term entry emerges. If you already own it, holding is reasonable, but I would not add new money today.

Technical Analysis

Price/levels: CNK is trading at 23.455, below the pivot (24.135) and sitting just above first support (S1=23.21) with next support at S2=22.639. This is a fragile area: a clean break below ~23.2 can open a move toward ~22.6. Momentum: MACD histogram is positive (0.0796) but contracting, implying bullish momentum is fading rather than strengthening. RSI(6)=46.37 is neutral, showing no oversold bounce signal. Trend: Converging moving averages suggest consolidation/indecision rather than a strong uptrend. Pattern-based outlook provided also leans slightly negative over the next day/month. Bottom line: Technicals do not show a strong “buy now” trend; it looks more like a range with nearby support risk.

Options Data

Bearish

Open Interest Put-Call Ratio

Bearish

Option Volume Put-Call Ratio

Sentiment: Open interest put/call of 1.09 is mildly defensive (more puts positioned than calls). Much more notable is the put/call volume ratio of 8.2 (puts dominating trading today), which is typically bearish/hedging-heavy short term. Volatility: 30D IV ~36.25 vs historical vol ~42.63; IV percentile 63.6 suggests options are not cheap and the market is pricing meaningful uncertainty. Takeaway: Options flows skew cautious to bearish right now, which argues against an impatient long-term entry today.

Technical Summary

Sell

Buy

Positive Catalysts

Hedge fund activity: Hedge funds are buying, with buying amount up ~101% over the last quarter.
Potential slate improvement: A key bull thesis from analysts is that the 2026 film slate looks stronger than 2025, which could lift attendance and profitability.
Balance sheet/flexibility (per analyst commentary): Reduced leverage vs pandemic period may support reinvestment and potential shareholder returns.
Upcoming earnings catalyst: QDEC 2025 earnings on 2026-02-23 (pre-market) could re-rate the stock if guidance/box office outlook is better than feared.

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

signals near-term fear/hedging.
showed notable YoY declines in revenue, EPS, and net income.

Financial Performance

Latest quarter: 2025/Q3. Growth trend: Revenue fell to $857.5M (-6.98% YoY). Profitability weakened sharply: Net income $48.9M (-73.45% YoY) and EPS $0.39 (-67.23% YoY). Gross margin 57.78% (down 1.83% YoY). Read-through: The company is not currently showing improving YoY growth/profit momentum in the latest quarter, which is a headwind for a long-term “buy now” decision.

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

Recent trend: Ratings are mixed, but price targets have been cut across multiple firms recently. - Upgrades/positive: MoffettNathanson upgraded to Buy with a $30 PT (2026 slate viewed stronger; attractive entry; improved balance sheet). - Still constructive but trimming: JPMorgan kept Overweight but cut PT to $31 from $37. - More cautious: Morgan Stanley downgraded to Equal Weight with PT $28 (lower box office; EBITDA cuts; catalysts played out). - Neutral with lower PT: B. Riley kept Neutral and cut PT to $29. Wall Street pros: Better balance sheet, potential stronger film slate in 2026, possible upside back toward high-20s/low-30s if industry conditions cooperate. Wall Street cons: Box office uncertainty and distribution/competitive concerns, plus reduced forward estimates and valuation pressure risks. Influential/political trades: No recent congress trading data available; insiders are described as neutral with no significant recent trend. Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals: **Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals** - [AI Stock Picker](module://ai_stock_pick): No signal on given stock today. - [SwingMax](module://swingmax): No signal on given stock recently.

6 Analyst Rating

Wall Street analysts forecast CNK stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for CNK is 33.67 USD with a low forecast of 28 USD and a high forecast of 37 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.

5 Buy

1 Hold

0 Sell

Strong Buy

Current: 23.230

Low

Averages

33.67

High

Current: 23.230

Low

Averages

33.67

High

B. Riley

Drew Crum

Neutral

downgrade

$35 -> $29

AI Analysis

2026-01-22

Reason

B. Riley

Drew Crum

Price Target

$35 -> $29

AI Analysis

2026-01-22

downgrade

Neutral

Reason

B. Riley analyst Drew Crum lowered the firm's price target on Cinemark (CNK) to $29 from $35 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.

JPMorgan

Overweight

NULL

downgrade

$37 -> $31

2026-01-22

Reason

JPMorgan

Price Target

$37 -> $31

2026-01-22

downgrade

Overweight

NULL

Reason

JPMorgan lowered the firm's price target on Cinemark to $31 from $37 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares. The firm updated the company's model ahead of the Q4 report. JPMorgan reduced its 2026 North America box office revenue estimate to $9.57B from $9.75B.

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CNK Should I Buy

CNK Should I Buy

Should You Buy Cinemark Holdings Inc (CNK) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Technical Analysis

Options Data

Technical Summary

Positive Catalysts

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Financial Performance

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

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