Stifel Nicolaus Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for PENN Entertainment (NASDAQ:PENN) Stock

PENN Entertainment (NASDAQ:PENN) had its price objective lifted by analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $22.00 to $23.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price target suggests a potential upside of 33.41% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of PENN Entertainment in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Benchmark raised PENN Entertainment from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $21.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Citigroup increased their price objective on PENN Entertainment from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on PENN Entertainment from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on PENN Entertainment from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $20.21.

PENN Entertainment Stock Down 0.1%

PENN opened at $17.24 on Friday. PENN Entertainment has a 1-year low of $11.65 and a 1-year high of $20.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.57, a P/E/G ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.32. The business has a 50 day moving average of $14.59 and a 200-day moving average of $14.71.

PENN Entertainment (NASDAQ:PENN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported $0.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.05 by $0.06. PENN Entertainment had a positive return on equity of 0.42% and a negative net margin of 13.55%.The company had revenue of $1.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.74 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.68 earnings per share. PENN Entertainment’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that PENN Entertainment will post 1.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its stake in PENN Entertainment by 16.5% during the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 23,829 shares of the company’s stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 3,368 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of PENN Entertainment in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $849,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of PENN Entertainment by 59.5% in the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 9,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $147,000 after purchasing an additional 3,649 shares during the period. Alpine Global Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of PENN Entertainment in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $176,000. Finally, Axxcess Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of PENN Entertainment by 54.8% in the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 55,075 shares of the company’s stock valued at $812,000 after purchasing an additional 19,500 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.69% of the company’s stock.

PENN Entertainment News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target to $23 and maintained an “outperform” call, implying ~33% upside from current levels. Article Title TickerReport
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan bumped its target to $23 and moved to “overweight” — another institutional vote of confidence that can support upside momentum. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Stifel raised its target to $23 and kept a “buy” rating, joining other brokers in signaling meaningful upside. Article Title The Fly
• Positive Sentiment: PENN reported a Q1 beat (EPS $0.11 vs. $0.05 est.; revenue $1.78B vs. $1.74B), with Interactive losses narrowing sharply and retail trends aided by the M Resort tower opening — evidence of operational improvement. Press Release Yahoo
• Neutral Sentiment: Deutsche Bank nudged its target to $18 and kept a “hold” rating — a less bullish view that tempers the unanimous upgrade narrative. MarketScreener
• Neutral Sentiment: Management reiterated an improving Interactive outlook (2026 interactive adjusted EBITDA loss guided to ~$20M) and highlighted retail strength from Alberta and property openings — supports the recovery thesis but is conditional on execution. Seeking Alpha
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst caution and a bearish Seeking Alpha piece emphasize elevated leverage, a regional asset base they consider lower quality, and a valuation premium versus peers — risks that could cap the multiple until leverage meaningfully improves. Seeking Alpha
• Negative Sentiment: Financial metrics remain a concern: negative net margin and return on equity plus a high debt-to-equity ratio keep balance-sheet risk top of mind for investors despite operational gains (see company metrics). MarketBeat

About PENN Entertainment

PENN Entertainment, Inc (NASDAQ: PENN) is a leading operator of gaming and racing facilities in the United States. The company’s business activities encompass land-based casinos, pari-mutuel racetracks, off-track wagering, and ancillary amenities such as hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues. In August 2022, the company rebranded from Penn National Gaming to PENN Entertainment to reflect its expanding footprint across digital and traditional segments of the gaming industry.

The company’s portfolio includes well-known properties under the Hollywood Casino and Ameristar Casino brands, located across multiple states including Pennsylvania, Ohio, Missouri and West Virginia.