BNP Paribas Financial Markets Buys 15,451 Shares of Boyd Gaming Co. (NYSE:BYD)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Boyd Gaming Co. (NYSE:BYD - Free Report) by 81.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 34,361 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 15,451 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Boyd Gaming were worth $2,493,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Boyd Gaming by 80.3% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 393 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Boyd Gaming in the fourth quarter worth approximately $67,000. Investment Counsel Co. of Nevada acquired a new position in Boyd Gaming in the fourth quarter worth approximately $73,000. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of Boyd Gaming by 2,735.1% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,049 shares of the company's stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 1,012 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Boyd Gaming during the 4th quarter valued at $109,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.81% of the company's stock.

Boyd Gaming Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of Boyd Gaming stock traded down $0.62 on Tuesday, hitting $74.05. 488,697 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 946,304. Boyd Gaming Co. has a 12-month low of $49.34 and a 12-month high of $80.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85. The company has a market cap of $6.03 billion, a PE ratio of 11.91, a PEG ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $67.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $71.83.

Boyd Gaming (NYSE:BYD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.10. Boyd Gaming had a return on equity of 35.97% and a net margin of 14.70%. The firm had revenue of $991.57 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $976.38 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.51 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Boyd Gaming Co. will post 6.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Boyd Gaming Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. Boyd Gaming's dividend payout ratio is currently 11.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on BYD shares. Susquehanna lifted their target price on Boyd Gaming from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. StockNews.com downgraded Boyd Gaming from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Boyd Gaming from $82.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Boyd Gaming from $75.00 to $72.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Boyd Gaming from $82.00 to $71.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $78.69.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Boyd Gaming news, Director Christine J. Spadafor sold 1,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.28, for a total transaction of $84,690.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 4,852 shares in the company, valued at $365,258.56. This represents a 18.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director William R. Boyd sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.32, for a total value of $1,189,800.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,472,970 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $116,835,980.40. The trade was a 1.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 27.94% of the company's stock.

Boyd Gaming Company Profile

Boyd Gaming Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a multi-jurisdictional gaming company in Nevada, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The company operates through Las Vegas Locals, Downtown Las Vegas, Midwest & South, and Online segments.