Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
What: Shares of Monarch Casino & Resort (NASDAQ: MCRI ) were cooling off today, falling as much as 20% after the company's earnings report failed to impress.
So what: The owner of the Atlantis Casino in Reno and the Monarch Casino Black Hawk in Colorado said earnings per share were in line with estimates at $0.32, and that revenue of $48.9 million was slightly below estimates of $49.3 million. Monarch's Colorado casino was affected by flooding in the state, forcing the property to be closed for four days and disrupting key feeder markets for the location. Because of the flooding, EBITDA growth at the Monarch casino was flat, while it improved 8.9% for Atlantis. Monarch also received a downgrade from Brean Capital, from buy to hold, based on valuation. �
Now what: Brean analyst Justin Sebastiano seemed to echo the market's sentiment, saying, "Our positive FY 14 outlook appears to already be in the stock." Monarch shares had gained 131% since April before today's drop thanks to huge earnings beats, so investors may have been expecting more of the same. With only modest growth expected next year, the stock seems fully priced at a P/E of 18.
10 Best Casino Stocks To Watch Right Now: Pinnacle Entertainment Inc.(PNK)
Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. owns, develops, and operates casinos, and related hospitality and entertainment facilities in the United States. It operates casinos, such as L'Auberge du Lac in Lake Charles, Louisiana; River City Casino and Lumiere Place in St. Louis, Missouri; Boomtown New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana; Belterra Casino Resort in Vevay, Indiana; Boomtown Bossier City in Bossier City, Louisiana; and Boomtown Reno in Reno, Nevada. The company also operates River Downs racetrack in southeast Cincinnati, Ohio. As of May 26, 2011, it operated seven casinos and one racetrack. The company was formerly known as Hollywood Park, Inc. and changed its name to Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. in February 2000. Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. was founded in 1935 and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Dan Radovsky]
Pinnacle Entertainment (NYSE: PNK ) has reached an agreement in principle with the Bureau of Competition of the Federal Trade Commission that would allow the company to complete its proposed acquisition of Ameristar Casinos (NASDAQ: ASCA ) , Pinnacle announced today.
- [By Travis Hoium]
What: Shares of Ameristar Casinos (NASDAQ: ASCA ) and Pinnacle Entertainment (NYSE: PNK ) fell as much as 11% today after the government brought into question the merger of the two companies.
10 Best Casino Stocks To Watch Right Now: MGM Resorts International(MGM)
MGM Resorts International, through its subsidiaries, primarily owns and operates casino resorts in the United States. The company?s resorts offer gaming, hotel, dining, entertainment, retail, and other resort amenities. It also owns and operates golf courses and a golf club. As of December 31, 2010, the company owned and operated 15 properties located in Nevada, Mississippi, and Michigan; and has 50% investments in 4 other casino resorts in Nevada, Illinois, and Macau. In addition, MGM Resorts International has an agreement with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which owns and operates a casino resort in Connecticut, to carry the ?MGM Grand? brand name. The company was formerly known as MGM MIRAGE and changed its name to MGM Resorts International in June 2010. MGM Resorts International was founded in 1986 and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ted Stamas]
My impression is that unless they get acquired by one of the major casino operators like Las Vegas Sands (LVS) or MGM Resorts (MGM), this move into mobile gaming is a few years down the line before we see any significant results. Headlines can always goose a stock in the short term, but in the long run, it's the earnings that count, or revenue growth if you are a younger company. It must be noted that although they have a cash balance of $21.2 million and no debt, they are still losing money. This is a turnaround, speculative play, but one with significant potential.
- [By Travis Hoium]
The next step
The top end of the market has been doing well over the past two years, and Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS ) and Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN ) have been the beneficiaries. Las Vegas Sands's Las Vegas�revenue was up 7% in the first quarter, while Wynn's�was up 6.6%. But MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM ) and Caesars Entertainment (NASDAQ: CZR ) haven't seen the same success in the lower end of the market. - [By Travis Hoium]
MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM ) doesn't have the flashy management that's made gaming companies famous, and CEO James Murren has taken a quieter role in the industry. But he has guided the company through the financial crisis and now has a huge growth opportunity on Cotai. But he isn't the only person investors need to watch.�
Top Dividend Stocks To Buy Right Now: (XTRN)
Las Vegas Railway Express Inc. focuses to re-establish a conventional passenger train service between the Las Vegas and Los Angeles metropolitan areas. It plans to establish a ?Vegas-style? passenger train service. The company is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.
10 Best Casino Stocks To Watch Right Now: Wynn Resorts Limited(WYNN)
Wynn Resorts, Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the development, ownership, and operation of destination casino resorts. The company owns and operates Wynn Las Vegas casino resort in Las Vegas, which includes approximately 22 food and beverage outlets comprising 5 dining restaurants; 2 nightclubs; 1 spa and salon; 1 Ferrari and Maserati automobile dealership; wedding chapels; an 18-hole golf course; meeting space; and foot retail promenade featuring boutiques. Wynn Las Vegas casino resort also features approximately 147 table games, 1 baccarat salon, private VIP gaming rooms, 1 poker room, 1,842 slot machines, and 1 race and sports book. It also owns and operates an Encore at Wynn Las Vegas resort, a destination casino resort located adjacent to Wynn Las Vegas that features a 2,034 all-suite hotel, as well as a casino with 95 table games, 1 sky casino, 1 baccarat salon, private VIP gaming rooms, and 778 slot machines. In addition, the company operates Wyn n Macau casino resort located in the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People?s Republic of China. Wynn Macau casino resort features approximately 595 hotel rooms and suites, 410 table games, 935 slot machines, 1 poker room, 1 sky casino, 6 restaurants, 1 spa and salon, lounges, meeting facilities, and retail space featuring boutiques. Further, it operates Encore at Wynn Macau resort located adjacent to Wynn Macau. Encore at Wynn Macau resort features approximately 410 luxury suites and 4 villas, as well as casino gaming space, including a sky casino consisting of 60 table games and 80 slot machines, 2 restaurants, 1 luxury spa, and retail space. The company was founded in 2002 and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Chris Hill and Bill Barker]
Shares of the casino and resort company have had a very good run lately, rising 12% in the last three months alone. While most people automatically picture the iconic Las Vegas strip when they think of casinos, Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN ) actually makes the majority of its profits from its operations in Macau. With China's economy slowing down, how much will Wynn's bottom line be hurt? Motley Fool Asset Management analyst Bill Barker shares why investors focused on the long term have nothing to fear.
- [By Matt Thalman]
While Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS ) and Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN ) are both major players in Macau, MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM ) is making a big push to grow its base in the Chinese gambling mecca, while it also has a massive footprint in Las Vegas, and the other two have a much lower room count. MGM owns a good portion of the Las Vegas Strip, and as we continue to see average daily hotel room rates rise for the city and increased gaming revenue for the strip, we will see MGM greatly benefit from a recovering American tourist industry and a stronger Las Vegas.
10 Best Casino Stocks To Watch Right Now: Penn National Gaming Inc.(PENN)
Penn National Gaming, Inc. and its subsidiaries own and manage gaming and pari-mutuel properties in the United States. It operates approximately 27,000 gaming machines; 500 table games; and 2,000 hotel rooms in 23 facilities in 16 jurisdictions, including Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ontario. The company was formerly known as PNRC Corp. and changed its name to Penn National Gaming, Inc. in 1994. Penn National Gaming, Inc. was founded in 1982 and is based in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Roberto Pedone]
Penn National Gaming (PENN) is a diversified, multi-jurisdictional owner and manager of gaming and pari-mutuel properties. This stock closed up 1.4% at $56.13 in Monday's trading session.
Monday's Volume: 1.11 million
Three-Month Average Volume: 824,334
Volume % Change: 73%From a technical perspective, PENN jumped modestly higher here right above some near-term support at $54.71 with above-average volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of PENN within range of triggering a breakout trade. That trade will hit if PENN manages to take out some near-term overhead resistance at $57.44 to some past resistance at $58 with high volume.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in PENN as long as it's trending above Monday's low $55.65 or above more support at $54.71 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that this near or above 824,334 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then PENN will set up to re-test or possibly take out its 52-week high at $59.93. Any high-volume move above $59.93 will then give PENN a chance to hit $65.
10 Best Casino Stocks To Watch Right Now: Boyd Gaming Corporation(BYD)
Boyd Gaming Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a multi-jurisdictional gaming company in the United States. As of December 31, 2011, the company owned and operated 1,042,787 square feet of casino space, containing approximately 25,973 slot machines, 655 table games, and 11,418 hotel rooms. It also owned and operated 16 gaming entertainment properties located in Nevada, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, and New Jersey. In addition, the company owns and operates a pari-mutuel jai-alai facility located in Dania Beach, Florida, as well as a travel agency in Hawaii. Further, it holds a 50% controlling interest in the limited liability company that operates Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Boyd Gaming Corporation was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Travis Hoium]
Even if a federal bill does pass, there's no guarantee Zynga would win. Online poker is all about gaining a critical mass of users, and it's a uphill battle. MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM ) and Boyd Gaming (NYSE: BYD ) have already partnered with bwin.party for a U.S. online gaming venture. Bwin.party is one of the largest real-money online poker companies in the world, and with PokerStars likely shut out of the U.S. in the near future, this would be a formidable opponent. Caesars Entertainment (NASDAQ: CZR ) has also had its eyes on online poker for some time, and with the World Series of Poker brand, it has a big draw for players. Caesars thinks so much of online poker that it's spinning off its "growth" assets, and online games are a key part of the new company.
- [By Roberto Pedone]
One gaming player that's rapidly moving within range of triggering a big breakout trade is Boyd Gaming (BYD), which owns and operates gaming entertainment facilities located in Nevada, Mississippi, Illinois, Louisiana and Indiana. This stock has been blazing a trail to the upside so far in 2013, with shares up sharply by 115%.
If you look at the chart for Boyd Gaming, you'll notice that this stock has been uptrending strong over the last month and change, with shares moving sharply higher from its low of $11.27 to its intraday high of $14.38 a share. During that move, shares of BYD have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of BYD into breakout territory above resistance at $13.79 a share, and it's quickly pushing the stock within range of another big breakout trade.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in BYD if it manages to break out above its 52-week high at $14.50 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 2.34 million shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then BYD will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that move are $18 to $20 a share.
Traders can look to buy BYD off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below some near-term support at $13 a share. One can also buy BYD off strength once it takes out $14.50 a share with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
The real question is whether Zynga can hold off experienced casino operators if online gambling becomes a reality. Already, alliances are forming, with Boyd Gaming (NYSE: BYD ) and MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM ) having linked up with bwin.party -- the same company Zynga tapped for its real-money Zynga Poker -- to help Boyd take advantage of newly legal online gambling in New Jersey. Zynga has the obvious edge with its social savvy, but established casino companies will have huge incentives to defend their turf if Zynga starts to make a serious dent in the industry.
- [By Seth Jayson]
Boyd Gaming (NYSE: BYD ) reported earnings on April 24. Here are the numbers you need to know.
The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Boyd Gaming met expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.
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