Golden Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:GDEN) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Golden Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:GDEN) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $36.57.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Golden Entertainment from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Golden Entertainment in a research report on Monday, December 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $38.00 price objective for the company. Macquarie cut their target price on Golden Entertainment from $39.00 to $38.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 8th. B. Riley lowered their price target on Golden Entertainment from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Golden Entertainment from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th.

Golden Entertainment Trading Up 0.9 %

NASDAQ GDEN opened at $31.40 on Monday. Golden Entertainment has a 52 week low of $27.42 and a 52 week high of $40.55. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $32.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $861.27 million, a PE ratio of 25.32 and a beta of 2.22.

Golden Entertainment Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 20th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 20th. Golden Entertainment’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 80.65%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Golden Entertainment

In other Golden Entertainment news, Director Terrence Wright sold 16,586 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.26, for a total transaction of $518,478.36. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 61,616 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,926,116.16. This trade represents a 21.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 29.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Golden Entertainment

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Golden Entertainment by 132.1% during the 2nd quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,486,689 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,251,000 after acquiring an additional 846,269 shares during the last quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP raised its stake in shares of Golden Entertainment by 78.2% during the second quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 283,020 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,805,000 after purchasing an additional 124,218 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Golden Entertainment by 100.9% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 163,629 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,089,000 after purchasing an additional 82,175 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Golden Entertainment in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,848,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new position in Golden Entertainment in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,537,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.73% of the company’s stock.

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.