We Asked 1,000 Apes Why They Bought Stock Or Options In AMC Entertainment

Every week, Benzinga conducts a survey to collect sentiment on what traders are most excited about, interested in or thinking about as they manage and build their personal portfolios.

This week we asked over 1,000 AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc AMC traders and investors why they bought stock or options in the world’s largest theatre chain.

For the uninitiated, AMC traders and investors often refer to themselves as "apes."

What To Know: It’s no secret AMC came out swinging in its recent earnings report.

AMC Entertainment shares traded higher on Aug. 9 after the company reported better-than-expected second-quarter EPS and sales results. The company notably reported it has liquidity available in excess of $2 billion.

AMC reported quarterly losses of 71 cents per share, which easily beat the analyst consensus estimate of a loss of 93 cents per share. AMC also reported quarterly sales of $444.7 million, which rather easily beat the analyst consensus estimate of $375.3 million.

Adam Aron, Chairman and CEO of AMC commented, “The second quarter of 2021 was transformational for AMC. We raised yet another $1.25 billion of new equity capital (before commissions and fees) in the quarter, boosting our quarter ending liquidity to more than $2 billion (including cash and undrawn revolving lines of credit) which is about double the previous highest ever such mark in AMC’s 101-year history.

See Also: 5 Things You Might Not Know About AMC CEO Adam Aron

What You Said: It’s clear from Aron’s statements he cares about the future financial outcomes of AMC and the social impact of the brand globally. On a similar note, a number of apes told us they wanted to do their part to support a brand that’s brought families and friends together since 1920:

• “I have always been a fan of AMC. I enjoy going to the movies and believe brick and mortar theatres are here to stay.”
• “I grew up going to AMC with my friends and wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
• “I own a family restaurant. I believe AMC represents a lot of what we represent: bringing families & friends together.”
• “I’ve struggled so much through COVID-19. When I heard about the WallStreetBets community pulling together to help AMC while larger, bigger money corporations were betting on them to fail, I wanted to help. Though I haven’t got a lot to help with, I wanted to do what I could. I kept thinking “what if people were betting against me and my little family restaurant."

What's Next: Aron concluded his statements in AMC’s second-quarter earnings release by saying, “There are many who shared our passion that moviegoing at our theatres should continue for future generations. Accordingly, we are ever so grateful to the friends and allies that AMC has gathered along the way. They can take comfort in knowing that as we rebuild our company, our deeper cash reserves allow us to stay the course, to innovate again and to capitalize on opportunities around us."

While AMC and other reopening stocks are far from out of the woods as traders and investors weigh the spread of the COVID-19 delta variant, it’s nothing short of a miracle the theatre chain has $2 billion in liquidity, including cash and undrawn revolving lines of credit. And it’s safe to say the apes had a thing or two to do with that.

This survey was conducted by Benzinga in August 2021 and included the responses of a diverse population of adults 18 or older.

Opting into the survey was completely voluntary, with no incentives offered to potential respondents. The study reflects results from over 1,000 adults.