Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC Sells 87,699 Shares of Caesars Entertainment, Inc. $CZR

Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC lessened its stake in shares of Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:CZR) by 9.0% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 891,693 shares of the company’s stock after selling 87,699 shares during the quarter. Caesars Entertainment makes up approximately 2.6% of Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC’s holdings in Caesars Entertainment were worth $23,567,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of CZR. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its position in Caesars Entertainment by 456.7% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,119 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 918 shares during the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Caesars Entertainment by 181.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 1,042 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 672 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caesars Entertainment by 44.6% during the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,581 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 488 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Caesars Entertainment by 87.1% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,817 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 846 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stance Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Caesars Entertainment in the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. 91.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CZR has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Caesars Entertainment in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Susquehanna upgraded Caesars Entertainment from a “positive” rating to a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Caesars Entertainment from $23.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $31.00 price target (down from $35.00) on shares of Caesars Entertainment in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Caesars Entertainment from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $31.00.

Caesars Entertainment Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of Caesars Entertainment stock traded up $0.07 during trading on Friday, hitting $29.84. 3,196,529 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,375,054. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.25. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $28.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $26.07. The firm has a market cap of $6.08 billion, a P/E ratio of -12.59 and a beta of 1.76. Caesars Entertainment, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.86 and a 52-week high of $31.23.

Caesars Entertainment (NASDAQ:CZR) last issued its earnings results 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). The business had revenue of $2.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.85 billion. Caesars Entertainment had a negative return on equity of 7.88% and a negative net margin of 4.19%.The firm’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.54) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Caesars Entertainment, Inc. will post -0.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Caesars Entertainment

In related news, insider Edmund L. Quatmann, Jr. sold 81,566 shares of Caesars Entertainment stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.35, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 81.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Michael E. Pegram sold 16,897 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.46, for a total value of $497,785.62. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 293,463 shares of company stock valued at $8,609,241 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.18% of the company’s stock.

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.