Golden Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:GDEN) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Golden Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:GDEN) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $36.86.

A number of research firms have recently commented on GDEN. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of Golden Entertainment in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Golden Entertainment in a research note on Monday, December 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $38.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com lowered Golden Entertainment from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Golden Entertainment from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Macquarie reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $40.00 price objective on shares of Golden Entertainment in a report on Friday, February 28th.

Golden Entertainment Stock Performance

Shares of GDEN stock opened at $27.29 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $723.49 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.01 and a beta of 2.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.11. Golden Entertainment has a one year low of $25.17 and a one year high of $36.92. The company’s 50-day moving average is $30.98 and its 200 day moving average is $31.48.

Golden Entertainment Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, March 21st will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. Golden Entertainment’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.88%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Golden Entertainment during the 4th quarter valued at about $17,704,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC grew its position in Golden Entertainment by 26.6% during the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 1,293,163 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,864,000 after buying an additional 271,782 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in Golden Entertainment by 885.9% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 171,302 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,413,000 after buying an additional 153,927 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in Golden Entertainment by 61.8% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 190,033 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,005,000 after acquiring an additional 72,588 shares during the period. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP raised its position in Golden Entertainment by 24.5% in the third quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 352,227 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,197,000 after acquiring an additional 69,207 shares during the period. 70.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Golden Entertainment Company Profile

Golden Entertainment, Inc owns and operates a diversified entertainment platform in the United States. The company operates through four segments; Nevada Casino Resorts, Nevada Locals Casinos, Nevada Taverns, and Distributed Gaming. It also operates casino, casino resorts, and taverns; and slot machines in third party non-casino locations.