The house always wins, but casino stocks have been big losers over the past two months, falling 12%. Now it may be time to bet on a gaming comeback—in Las Vegas and beyond.
What’s more, regional casinos are more recession-resistant than many realize, thanks to their loyal customer bases. A mild economic downturn—which many strategists are predicting—wouldn’t present much of a headwind for the industry. Even a full-on recession could prove manageable: While regional casinos did take their lumps during the recession of 2008-09, they bucked the weakness that Las Vegas experienced during the dot-com bust.
In all, the stocks look cheap, even relative to where they were trading before the pandemic. “ continues to be the most exciting online gaming opportunity, given the size of the potential total addressable market at maturity coupled with the potential for sound profitability,” Weingrod writes. “Based on this, we believe that the industry should be trading above its pre-Covid average multiple.
The company’s strong performance and balance sheet allow it to be generous with shareholders, as evidenced by its $1 billion share-repurchase target. Boyd’s assets span 10 states, including Illinois and Louisiana, and the company has a 5% stake in Flutter Entertainment’s FanDuel, the nation’s leading sports betting operator.