Short Interest in Golden Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:GDEN) Decreases By 17.2%

Golden Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:GDEN) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 708,028 shares, a decrease of 17.2% from the November 30th total of 855,088 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 322,238 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.2 days. Approximately 3.8% of the shares of the company are sold short. Approximately 3.8% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 322,238 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.2 days.

Institutional Trading of Golden Entertainment

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hill Path Capital LP grew its holdings in shares of Golden Entertainment by 477.8% during the 2nd quarter. Hill Path Capital LP now owns 655,625 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,295,000 after purchasing an additional 542,150 shares in the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP raised its stake in Golden Entertainment by 419.9% in the first quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 42,198 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,114,000 after purchasing an additional 34,081 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new stake in Golden Entertainment during the second quarter worth about $1,277,000. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in Golden Entertainment during the first quarter worth about $298,000. Finally, Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its holdings in Golden Entertainment by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 839,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,795,000 after buying an additional 23,476 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.73% of the company’s stock.

Golden Entertainment Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:GDEN opened at $27.19 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $711.83 million, a PE ratio of 151.06 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Golden Entertainment has a 12-month low of $19.57 and a 12-month high of $35.49. The business has a 50 day moving average of $27.16 and a 200-day moving average of $26.52.

Golden Entertainment (NASDAQ:GDEN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($0.18) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by ($0.10). Golden Entertainment had a net margin of 0.85% and a return on equity of 1.20%. The firm had revenue of $154.82 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $157.21 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Golden Entertainment will post 0.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Golden Entertainment Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Investors of record on Monday, December 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 22nd. Golden Entertainment’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 555.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GDEN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Golden Entertainment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. JMP Securities reduced their price target on Golden Entertainment from $35.00 to $34.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Golden Entertainment from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Golden Entertainment in a research note on Monday. Finally, Citizens Jmp downgraded Golden Entertainment from a “market outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $32.60.

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.