Golden Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:GDEN) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: Seven brokerages rate Golden Entertainment an average "Hold" (1 sell, 5 hold, 1 buy) with a one‑year average price target of $32.75.
• Recent results and stock metrics: The company missed quarterly expectations (EPS $(0.01) vs. $0.11 consensus; revenue $155.6M vs. $166.6M) and reported a negative net margin of 0.95%; the stock trades around $28.35 with a market cap of ~$748M and a 12‑month high of $32.74.
• Dividend and institutional interest: Golden pays a quarterly $0.25 dividend (annualized $1.00, ~3.5% yield) despite a negative payout ratio (-400%), and institutions own ~70.7% of the shares with several funds recently increasing or initiating positions.

Shares of Golden Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:GDEN - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Hold" from the seven brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $32.75.

Several analysts have issued reports on GDEN shares. Weiss Ratings cut Golden Entertainment from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Citigroup reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Golden Entertainment in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th.

Golden Entertainment Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ GDEN opened at $28.35 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $748.44 million, a PE ratio of -113.40 and a beta of 1.40. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $27.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $27.09. Golden Entertainment has a 12-month low of $19.57 and a 12-month high of $32.74.

Golden Entertainment (NASDAQ:GDEN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 27th. The company reported ($0.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.11 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $155.63 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $166.61 million. Golden Entertainment had a negative net margin of 0.95% and a positive return on equity of 0.51%.

Golden Entertainment Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 18th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 18th. Golden Entertainment's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -400.00%.

Institutional Trading of Golden Entertainment

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GDEN. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Golden Entertainment in the 4th quarter worth $23,812,000. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Golden Entertainment by 461.8% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 533,217 shares of the company's stock worth $14,498,000 after purchasing an additional 438,297 shares in the last quarter. Nantahala Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Golden Entertainment in the 4th quarter worth $10,013,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its position in shares of Golden Entertainment by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 1,134,462 shares of the company's stock worth $30,846,000 after purchasing an additional 233,324 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Arbitrage LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Golden Entertainment in the 4th quarter worth $5,108,000. Institutional investors own 70.73% of the company's stock.

About Golden Entertainment

Golden Entertainment, Inc is a diversified gaming and hospitality company that operates in the casino, tavern-casino and slot route markets. The company's core activities encompass the ownership and management of full-service resort casinos, a portfolio of branded neighborhood tavern-casinos and a large slot distribution network. Headquartered in Summerlin, Nevada, Golden Entertainment serves leisure and local gaming customers across multiple Western U.S. markets.

In its casino and tavern-casino segment, Golden Entertainment owns and operates properties such as Bronco Billy's Casino & Hotel in Cripple Creek, Colorado, along with a collection of PT's branded venues throughout Southern Nevada.

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