Golden Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:GDEN) Short Interest Down 13.8% in February

Golden Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:GDEN) saw a significant decrease in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 640,591 shares, a decrease of 13.8% from the February 12th total of 742,933 shares. Approximately 3.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 161,672 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.0 days. Based on an average daily volume of 161,672 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.0 days. Approximately 3.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Golden Entertainment Stock Up 0.4%

GDEN traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $27.76. 73,770 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 236,569. The company has a market cap of $727.29 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -110.94 and a beta of 1.41. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $27.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $26.42. Golden Entertainment has a one year low of $19.57 and a one year high of $32.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.17.

Golden Entertainment (NASDAQ:GDEN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 27th. The company reported ($0.01) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.11 by ($0.12). Golden Entertainment had a negative net margin of 0.95% and a positive return on equity of 0.51%. The company had revenue of $155.63 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $166.61 million. As a group, analysts expect that Golden Entertainment will post 0.2 EPS for the current year.

Golden Entertainment Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 18th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. Golden Entertainment’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -400.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Golden Entertainment

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GDEN. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in Golden Entertainment during the fourth quarter worth $1,207,000. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in Golden Entertainment in the 4th quarter valued at $763,000. VARCOV Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Golden Entertainment during the 4th quarter valued at $528,000. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL bought a new stake in shares of Golden Entertainment during the 4th quarter worth $1,934,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Golden Entertainment by 461.8% during 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 during the period. 70.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on GDEN. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Golden Entertainment from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Citigroup reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Golden Entertainment in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Golden Entertainment from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $32.75.

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.