Everbay Seeks Golden Board for Transparency; Considers RemainCo Sale Price Insufficient
Everbay Capital's Concerns: Everbay Capital LP has expressed significant concerns regarding Golden Entertainment Inc.'s recent transactions, including the sale of casino real estate to Vici Properties and the sale of casino operations to CEO Blake L. Sartini.
Inadequate Pricing: Everbay criticized the proposed price of $2.75 per share for RemainCo as insufficient and questioned the rationale behind bundling the two transactions.
Shareholder Voting Request: The firm urged Golden Entertainment to allow shareholders to vote separately on the real estate sale and the RemainCo transaction, enabling them to approve one while potentially rejecting the other.
Author's Views Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the letter are those of Everbay Capital and do not necessarily reflect the views of Nasdaq, Inc.
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- Price Target Adjustment: Deutsche Bank lowered its price target for VICI Properties from $34 to $32 while maintaining a Hold rating, indicating a cautious market outlook that may affect investor confidence.
- Financial Performance Improvement: CEO Edward Pitoniak highlighted that The Venetian's EBITDAR increased from $487 million pre-pandemic to $777 million in 2024, demonstrating improved asset performance and enhancing long-term investment appeal.
- Strategic Investment Expansion: The company completed $2.1 billion in strategic investments in 2025, including a long-term agreement with Cain and Eldridge Industries and a $510 million loan with Red Rock Resorts, showcasing its proactive market positioning.
- Market Expansion: VICI's entry into the Las Vegas locals market capitalizes on favorable demographics and steady demand, further strengthening its competitive position in the real estate investment trust sector.
- Operational Performance Boost: CEO Edward Pitoniak highlighted that The Venetian's EBITDAR increased from $487 million pre-pandemic to $777 million in 2024, demonstrating the company's focus on tenant operations and reinforcing its position in the real estate market.
- Increased Capital Commitment: The company announced $2.1 billion in capital commitments for 2025, including a long-term partnership with Cain and Eldridge Industries and a $1.16 billion sale-leaseback with Golden Entertainment, indicating its expansion intentions and financial strength in the market.
- Significant AFFO Growth: CFO David Kieske reported that AFFO reached $2.5 billion in 2025, a 6.6% year-over-year increase, with earnings per share at $2.38, showcasing the success of the company's reinvestment of free cash flow and enhancing its financial stability.
- Optimistic Future Outlook: Management expects AFFO for 2026 to range between $2.59 billion and $2.625 billion, reflecting confidence in future growth while emphasizing continued optimization of tenant risk management and portfolio diversification.
- Market Reaction: Despite Nvidia's blockbuster earnings, tech stocks faced heavy selling, dragging the broader semiconductor sector down and erasing approximately $400 billion in market capitalization, indicating investor concerns about market outlook.
- Major Indices Performance: By midday in New York, the S&P 500 was down 0.9%, the Nasdaq 100 fell 1.6%, the Dow Jones slipped 0.3%, and the Russell 2000 lost 0.5%, reflecting a general weakness across the market.
- Volatility Index Surge: The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) rallied over 10%, on track for its best session in two weeks, signaling heightened fear among investors and growing uncertainty about future market conditions.
- Commodity Market Dynamics: Gold prices rose 0.3% to $5,180 per ounce, while silver fell 2.8% to $86 an ounce, and crude oil increased by 1.3% to $66.5 per barrel, illustrating the volatility in commodity markets influenced by stock market trends.
- Earnings Decline: VICI Properties reported a fourth-quarter profit of $604.76 million, translating to $0.57 per share, which is a decrease from last year's $614.59 million and $0.58 per share, indicating pressure on the company's profitability.
- Revenue Growth: Despite the decline in earnings, the company's revenue rose by 3.5% to $1.01 billion compared to $976.05 million last year, suggesting that VICI is still managing to grow its top line amidst challenges.
- Financial Performance Comparison: The drop in both earnings and EPS compared to last year reflects challenges in profitability under the current economic conditions, which may impact investor confidence moving forward.
- Market Reaction Outlook: Given the earnings decline, the market may adopt a cautious stance towards VICI Properties' future performance, potentially leading to stock price volatility, prompting investors to monitor the company's strategic adjustments and market responses closely.
- Market Recovery: Stocks made a significant recovery on Tuesday, nearly offsetting the losses experienced on Monday.
- Investor Sentiment: The rebound indicates a shift in investor sentiment following a period of decline.
- Economic Indicators: The recovery may be influenced by various economic indicators that are being closely monitored by analysts.
- Future Outlook: Analysts are assessing whether this trend will continue or if further volatility is expected in the market.
- Strong Profitability: Vici Properties reported $2.8 billion in revenue for the first nine months of 2025, a 4% increase year-over-year, while operating expenses fell by 2.8% to $159 million, demonstrating robust profitability in the casino and hospitality markets, thereby solidifying its position as a high-yield stock.
- Significant Dividend Growth: The company announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.45 per share in Q3 2025, marking a 40% year-over-year increase, which not only far exceeds the average dividend yield of the S&P 500 but also reflects its ongoing ability to grow dividends, attracting more investor interest.
- Low Risk, High Return: As a REIT, Vici Properties is required to distribute 90% of its taxable income as dividends, with a payout ratio of 66.44% indicating ample room for further dividend increases, and its consistent growth over the past seven years showcases strong financial health.
- Market Competitive Advantage: Compared to competitor Gaming and Leisure Properties, Vici's funds from operations reached $732 million in the latest reported quarter, highlighting its leadership position in the market and enhancing its attractiveness as an investment target.








