Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Has $105.72 Million Stock Holdings in Caesars Entertainment, Inc. $CZR

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund cut its holdings in Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:CZR) by 19.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,000,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 938,000 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in Caesars Entertainment were worth $105,720,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Caesars Entertainment by 61.9% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,097,763 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,677,000 after acquiring an additional 419,617 shares in the last quarter. Ruffer LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Caesars Entertainment in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,820,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new stake in Caesars Entertainment during the fourth quarter worth about $65,492,000. 1492 Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Caesars Entertainment during the first quarter worth about $1,020,000. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in Caesars Entertainment during the first quarter valued at approximately $2,392,000. Institutional investors own 91.79% of the company’s stock.

Caesars Entertainment Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of CZR opened at $29.94 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.10 billion, a P/E ratio of -12.63 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.25, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.85. Caesars Entertainment, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.86 and a 52 week high of $30.88. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $29.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $26.47.

Caesars Entertainment (NASDAQ:CZR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported ($0.48) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.24) by ($0.24). Caesars Entertainment had a negative return on equity of 7.88% and a negative net margin of 4.19%.The company had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.54) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Caesars Entertainment, Inc. will post -0.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Caesars Entertainment news, insider Edmund L. Quatmann, Jr. sold 81,566 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.35, for a total value of $2,393,962.10. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 18,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $536,019.05. This represents a 81.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael E. Pegram sold 55,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.20, for a total value of $1,606,000.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 293,463 shares of company stock worth $8,609,241. 1.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on CZR shares. Raymond James Financial downgraded Caesars Entertainment from a “strong-buy” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Caesars Entertainment from $26.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Susquehanna raised shares of Caesars Entertainment from a “positive” rating to a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Barclays restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $31.00 target price (down from $35.00) on shares of Caesars Entertainment in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Caesars Entertainment from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Caesars Entertainment has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $31.00.

About Caesars Entertainment

Caesars Entertainment Corporation is a leading integrated gaming and hospitality company headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. The company owns and operates a global portfolio of resorts, casinos, and entertainment venues designed to deliver comprehensive hospitality experiences. Its business activities span hotel accommodations, gaming operations, food and beverage services, live events, and convention services, with a focus on delivering luxury and entertainment to both leisure and business travelers.

The company traces its lineage to the founding of Harrah’s by William F.