Investors Buy High Volume of VICI Properties Call Options (NYSE:VICI)

VICI Properties Inc. (NYSE:VICI) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders acquired 8,913 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 381% compared to the average volume of 1,853 call options.

VICI Properties Stock Performance

NYSE:VICI opened at $32.38 on Thursday. VICI Properties has a 52 week low of $27.08 and a 52 week high of $34.29. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $30.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.45. The company has a quick ratio of 2.61, a current ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The company has a market cap of $34.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.88 and a beta of 0.94.

VICI Properties (NYSE:VICI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by ($0.10). VICI Properties had a return on equity of 10.24% and a net margin of 69.59%. The firm had revenue of $976.05 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $969.29 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that VICI Properties will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

VICI Properties Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.4325 per share. This represents a $1.73 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. VICI Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.58%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of VICI. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of VICI Properties by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 1,773,049 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,791,000 after acquiring an additional 5,821 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in VICI Properties by 141.0% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 237,634 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,941,000 after purchasing an additional 139,040 shares during the period. Centaurus Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of VICI Properties by 37.4% during the fourth quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 52,164 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,524,000 after buying an additional 14,192 shares during the period. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of VICI Properties during the fourth quarter worth about $64,000. Finally, Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. acquired a new position in VICI Properties in the 4th quarter valued at about $395,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on shares of VICI Properties from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Truist Financial dropped their target price on VICI Properties from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Mizuho decreased their price target on VICI Properties from $33.00 to $30.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of VICI Properties from $33.75 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $35.00 price target on shares of VICI Properties in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, VICI Properties currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.20.

VICI Properties Company Profile

VICI Properties Inc is an S&P 500 experiential real estate investment trust that owns one of the largest portfolios of market-leading gaming, hospitality and entertainment destinations, including Caesars Palace Las Vegas, MGM Grand and the Venetian Resort Las Vegas, three of the most iconic entertainment facilities on the Las Vegas Strip.