Accel Entertainment (NYSE:ACEL) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Citizens Jmp Analyst Says

Accel Entertainment (NYSE:ACEL) had its price target lifted by equities research analysts at Citizens Jmp from $13.00 to $14.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “market outperform” rating on the stock. Citizens Jmp’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 14.57% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on ACEL. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Accel Entertainment in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Macquarie Infrastructure reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $16.00 price target on shares of Accel Entertainment in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Accel Entertainment in a research report on Friday, December 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Accel Entertainment from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Accel Entertainment currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $14.75.

Accel Entertainment Stock Down 6.4%

Shares of NYSE ACEL opened at $12.22 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.37 and a beta of 1.05. Accel Entertainment has a 52 week low of $9.02 and a 52 week high of $13.31. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $11.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $10.95. The company has a quick ratio of 2.50, a current ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11.

Accel Entertainment (NYSE:ACEL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $341.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $335.66 million. Accel Entertainment had a net margin of 3.87% and a return on equity of 27.49%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Accel Entertainment will post 0.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Accel Entertainment

In other news, insider Derek Harmer sold 5,000 shares of Accel Entertainment stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.50, for a total value of $57,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 199,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,299,045.50. The trade was a 2.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director David W. Ruttenberg sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.04, for a total value of $276,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 198,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,187,410.40. The trade was a 11.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 115,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,289,100. 18.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Accel Entertainment

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hill Path Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Accel Entertainment in the second quarter valued at about $32,828,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Accel Entertainment by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,266,697 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,912,000 after acquiring an additional 26,419 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in Accel Entertainment in the second quarter valued at approximately $302,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in Accel Entertainment in the second quarter valued at approximately $426,000. Finally, Midwest Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Accel Entertainment during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,057,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.39% of the company’s stock.

Accel Entertainment News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Accel Entertainment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations — ACEL reported $0.19 EPS vs. $0.15 consensus and revenue of $341.5M vs. $335.7M, marking a record Q4 and giving management momentum to talk about cost and margin initiatives. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Chicago VGT market entry and margin-expansion guidance — Management highlighted entry into the Chicago video gaming terminal (VGT) market and said it expects margin expansion from operational improvements and scale, a potential multi-quarter earnings lever. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price-target increase (Citizens JMP) — Citizens JMP raised its target to $14 and set a “market outperform” rating, signaling analyst confidence in upside vs. current levels. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Truist raised its price target to $14 but kept a “hold” rating — modestly supportive for the stock but not an upgrade to a buy. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings materials posted — The company released its Q4 earnings presentation and the full call transcript (useful for details on guidance, capital allocation and the Chicago rollout). Presentation Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Sell pressure despite the beat — Shares fell on the news, likely due to profit-taking after the run, a high intraday volume spike vs. average, and lingering investor concerns: elevated leverage (debt/equity ~2.1), modest net margins (~3.9%), and relatively conservative near-term EPS expectations—factors that can temper how strongly the market rewards a single-quarter beat.

About Accel Entertainment

Accel Entertainment, Inc is a Chicago-based gaming and entertainment company specializing in the provision of regulated electronic gaming terminals and related management services to licensed establishments across the United States. The company’s core offerings include video gaming terminals (VGTs), digital payment solutions, player loyalty programs and compliance support, all designed to enhance customer engagement and operational efficiency for bars, restaurants, truck stops and convenience stores.

Founded in 2005, Accel Entertainment has built a network that spans multiple states, including Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Iowa.