Insider Selling: Boyd Gaming (NYSE:BYD) Insider Sells $1,632,512.70 in Stock

Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE:BYD) insider Stephen Thompson sold 19,530 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $1,632,512.70. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 22,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,839,732.31. This represents a 47.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Boyd Gaming Trading Up 1.0%

BYD stock opened at $82.18 on Thursday. Boyd Gaming Corporation has a 12-month low of $58.94 and a 12-month high of $89.96. The business’s 50-day moving average is $85.08 and its 200 day moving average is $83.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market cap of $6.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.61, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.20.

Boyd Gaming (NYSE:BYD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $2.21 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.88 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. Boyd Gaming had a return on equity of 30.14% and a net margin of 45.05%.The business’s revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.96 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Boyd Gaming Corporation will post 6.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Boyd Gaming Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This is an increase from Boyd Gaming’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. Boyd Gaming’s payout ratio is 3.16%.

Institutional Trading of Boyd Gaming

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BYD. Alps Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Boyd Gaming by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 5,384 shares of the company’s stock worth $465,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Boyd Gaming by 24.5% in the fourth quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 854 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Boyd Gaming by 4.0% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,434 shares of the company’s stock worth $371,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Boyd Gaming by 56.8% during the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 541 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Interchange Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Boyd Gaming by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,996 shares of the company’s stock worth $255,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on BYD shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Boyd Gaming in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Boyd Gaming in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $86.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley set a $86.00 price objective on shares of Boyd Gaming in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Boyd Gaming in a report on Wednesday, December 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Boyd Gaming from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Boyd Gaming has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $92.58.

Boyd Gaming Company Profile

Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE: BYD) is a diversified hospitality and gaming company headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. The company develops, owns and operates a portfolio of branded gaming and entertainment properties, including casinos, hotels, restaurants and meeting facilities. Boyd Gaming’s offerings range from slot machines and table games to live entertainment, dining concepts and convention space, designed to appeal to both regional and destination visitors.

Founded in 1975 by its namesake, William S.