Accel Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:ACEL) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus on Accel Entertainment, with four buy ratings and three holds. The average 12-month price target is $14.80 versus the stock’s recent $11.84 price.
• Institutional investors increased their positions, with institutional and hedge-fund ownership reaching 55.39%. Meanwhile, two insiders sold shares totaling $585,000 under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plans.
• Accel reported quarterly revenue of $368.13 million, exceeding estimates, but earnings per share of $0.15 fell short of the $0.19 consensus. The stock remains below its 52-week high of $14.00.

Accel Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:ACEL - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seven research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $14.80.

Several brokerages have issued reports on ACEL. National Bank Financial set a $15.00 price target on shares of Accel Entertainment in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Accel Entertainment from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Citizens Jmp upped their target price on Accel Entertainment from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Accel Entertainment in a research note on Friday, August 21st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $14.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Accel Entertainment from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 22nd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Derek Harmer sold 20,000 shares of Accel Entertainment stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.00, for a total value of $260,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 187,827 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,441,751. This trade represents a 9.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Mark Phelan sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.00, for a total transaction of $325,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 241,464 shares in the company, valued at $3,139,032. This represents a 9.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 14.47% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ACEL. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its position in shares of Accel Entertainment by 1,119.9% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 603,906 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,615,000 after purchasing an additional 554,402 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in Accel Entertainment by 63.6% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,082,891 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,814,000 after buying an additional 421,047 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new position in Accel Entertainment in the 3rd quarter valued at about $4,368,000. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in Accel Entertainment by 252.5% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 502,521 shares of the company's stock worth $4,985,000 after acquiring an additional 359,948 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in Accel Entertainment by 177.3% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 548,952 shares of the company's stock worth $6,264,000 after acquiring an additional 351,012 shares during the last quarter. 55.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Accel Entertainment Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE:ACEL opened at $11.84 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $12.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $11.93. Accel Entertainment has a 52-week low of $9.55 and a 52-week high of $14.00. The company has a market cap of $961.29 million, a PE ratio of 17.67 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 2.40 and a current ratio of 2.47.

Accel Entertainment (NYSE:ACEL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported $0.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.19 by ($0.04). Accel Entertainment had a return on equity of 22.30% and a net margin of 4.08%.The firm had revenue of $368.13 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $356.66 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Accel Entertainment will post 0.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Accel Entertainment

Accel Entertainment, Inc is a Chicago-based gaming and entertainment company specializing in the provision of regulated electronic gaming terminals and related management services to licensed establishments across the United States. The company’s core offerings include video gaming terminals (VGTs), digital payment solutions, player loyalty programs and compliance support, all designed to enhance customer engagement and operational efficiency for bars, restaurants, truck stops and convenience stores.

Founded in 2005, Accel Entertainment has built a network that spans multiple states, including Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Iowa.

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