Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Buys 15,797 Shares of Boyd Gaming Corporation $BYD

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE:BYD) by 15.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 119,814 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 15,797 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.15% of Boyd Gaming worth $10,358,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in Boyd Gaming by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,324,668 shares of the company’s stock worth $103,629,000 after purchasing an additional 39,905 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in Boyd Gaming by 11.7% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,213,024 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,895,000 after purchasing an additional 127,167 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Boyd Gaming by 679.7% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,122,869 shares of the company’s stock valued at $87,842,000 after purchasing an additional 978,853 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Boyd Gaming by 3.0% in the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,047,415 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,939,000 after purchasing an additional 30,471 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Boyd Gaming during the 2nd quarter worth $54,933,000. Institutional investors own 76.81% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Boyd Gaming news, CFO Josh Hirsberg sold 23,924 shares of Boyd Gaming stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.86, for a total transaction of $2,054,114.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 435,746 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,413,151.56. The trade was a 5.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Stephen S. Thompson sold 19,530 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total value of $1,632,512.70. Following the sale, the insider owned 22,009 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,839,732.31. The trade was a 47.02% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 73,454 shares of company stock worth $6,231,827 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 27.94% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on BYD. UBS Group set a $110.00 price objective on Boyd Gaming in a report on Wednesday, December 24th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Boyd Gaming in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. Truist Financial set a $110.00 price objective on Boyd Gaming in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Citigroup began coverage on Boyd Gaming in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $86.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Boyd Gaming from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Boyd Gaming has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $92.58.

Boyd Gaming Trading Down 2.3%

Shares of BYD opened at $80.16 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.52, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.54 and a quick ratio of 0.52. Boyd Gaming Corporation has a 1-year low of $58.94 and a 1-year high of $89.96. The company has a 50-day moving average of $84.89 and a 200 day moving average of $83.81.

Boyd Gaming (NYSE:BYD) last posted 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. Boyd Gaming had a net margin of 45.05% and a return on equity of 30.14%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.96 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Boyd Gaming Corporation will post 6.52 EPS for the current year.

Boyd Gaming Increases Dividend

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

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.