Is AMC Stock a Buy as Growth Improves and Leverage Remains Elevated?
AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. AMC is showing clearer operating progress as moviegoing demand improves and earnings losses narrow. The recovery is supported by higher revenues, premium-format expansion and stronger spending per guest.
The investment case is less straightforward because leverage remains high, equity issuance has diluted shareholders and AMC's current sales multiple sits above its own five-year median. Those factors leave investors weighing a better operating trajectory against continuing balance-sheet risk.
AMC's Growth Case Is Improving
The Zacks Consensus Estimate calls for 2026 revenues of $5.56 billion, up 14.6% from $4.85 billion in 2025. The annual loss estimate narrows to 22 cents per share from a loss of 96 cents in 2025, showing a sharp improvement in expected earnings.
Second-quarter results support that direction. Revenues rose 14.2% year over year to $1.597 billion, while adjusted EBITDA increased 69.6% to $321.4 million. The adjusted EBITDA margin expanded to 20.1% from 13.6%, indicating stronger earnings conversion as attendance and spending recovered.
AMC's Premium Formats Lift Revenue Potential
AMC operates roughly 750 premium and extra-large-format auditoriums globally, including IMAX, Dolby Cinema, in-house premium formats and XL screens. U.S. IMAX and Dolby Cinema tickets typically carry premiums of about $6-$7 over traditional auditoriums, while XL screens command roughly a 10% premium.
AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. Price and Consensus
AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. price-consensus-chart | AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. Quote
The premium-format theme is visible across the industry. Cinemark Holdings, Inc. CNK said higher premium-format mix helped lift its U.S. average ticket price 4.2% in the second quarter of 2026. IMAX Corporation IMAX reported $285 million in second-quarter global box office, its highest second-quarter level since 2019, reinforcing the demand for differentiated theatrical experiences.
AMC's Valuation Sends a Mixed Signal
AMC trades at 0.47X forward 12-month sales, well below 2.52X for its sub-industry and 2.13X for the Zacks Consumer Discretionary sector. On a peer and sector basis, the stock therefore screens at a sizable discount.
The comparison with AMC's own history is less favorable. Its five-year median forward sales multiple is 0.36X, below the current level, while the five-year range spans 0.11X to 5.37X. The stock can look inexpensive relative to outside benchmarks without being unusually cheap versus its own recent trading history.
AMC's Debt and Dilution Keep Risk Elevated
Corporate borrowings on a principal basis stood at $3.91 billion at June 30, 2026, down from $4.02 billion at the end of 2025. Management indicated leverage had fallen below roughly 6.5 times, but that remains well above its longer-term objective of about 3 times.
Refinancing has pushed expected material debt maturities out to 2029 and should reduce interest costs. At the same time, AMC has used equity offerings and debt-for-equity conversions to strengthen liquidity and reduce obligations. Those actions improve financial flexibility but expand the share base and can limit how much companywide improvement reaches each existing share.
AMC's Rating Profile Favors Growth Over Value
AMC's operating outlook is improving, but the balance sheet and valuation context still require monitoring. The stock's near-term setup is helped by stronger earnings expectations, while leverage and dilution keep the risk profile elevated.
AMC currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), which signals a favorable short-term earnings-estimate revision trend. It also has a Growth Score of A and a VGM Score of A. Its Value Score of C and Momentum Score of C are more moderate, indicating that growth characteristics stand out more clearly than value or momentum within the Zacks Style Scores framework.
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
