Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Boyd Gaming Co. (NYSE:BYD)

Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Boyd Gaming Co. (NYSE:BYD) by 16.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,893 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,155 shares during the period. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Boyd Gaming were worth $932,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BYD. Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in shares of Boyd Gaming by 23.3% during the third quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 230,397 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,015,000 after purchasing an additional 43,578 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Boyd Gaming during the 4th quarter worth $117,720,000. Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in shares of Boyd Gaming by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 243,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,804,000 after acquiring an additional 19,256 shares during the period. UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in shares of Boyd Gaming by 4.9% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 274,235 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,682,000 after acquiring an additional 12,798 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Black Diamond Capital Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in shares of Boyd Gaming during the third quarter worth about $4,988,000. 76.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on BYD shares. StockNews.com raised Boyd Gaming from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Mizuho initiated coverage on Boyd Gaming in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $80.00 price objective on the stock. Susquehanna reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $75.00 target price (down previously from $84.00) on shares of Boyd Gaming in a report on Monday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Boyd Gaming from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Boyd Gaming from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $76.30.

Insider Activity at Boyd Gaming

In other Boyd Gaming news, major shareholder William S. Boyd sold 63,464 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.12, for a total value of $4,005,847.68. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,795,449 shares in the company, valued at approximately $555,168,740.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Boyd Gaming news, CEO Keith Smith sold 75,000 shares of Boyd Gaming stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.92, for a total value of $4,794,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,119,625 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $71,566,430. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder William S. Boyd sold 63,464 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.12, for a total value of $4,005,847.68. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 8,795,449 shares in the company, valued at approximately $555,168,740.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 582,910 shares of company stock valued at $37,299,461. 27.94% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Boyd Gaming Stock Performance

NYSE:BYD opened at $63.59 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The company has a market capitalization of $6.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.60. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $64.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $62.06. Boyd Gaming Co. has a twelve month low of $52.42 and a twelve month high of $73.00.

Boyd Gaming (NYSE:BYD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $954.41 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $928.04 million. Boyd Gaming had a return on equity of 36.97% and a net margin of 16.58%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.72 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Boyd Gaming Co. will post 6.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Boyd Gaming Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This is a boost from Boyd Gaming’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Boyd Gaming’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.15%.

Boyd Gaming Company Profile

Boyd Gaming Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a multi-jurisdictional gaming company in Nevada, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The company operates through Las Vegas Locals, Downtown Las Vegas, Midwest & South, and Online segments.