{"id":1073,"date":"2025-09-22T17:42:25","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T17:42:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/?p=1073"},"modified":"2025-10-06T11:57:01","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T11:57:01","slug":"monarch-casino-still-picky-on-ma-could-deliver-another-special-dividend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/22\/monarch-casino-still-picky-on-ma-could-deliver-another-special-dividend\/","title":{"rendered":"Monarch Casino Still Picky on M&amp;A, Could Deliver Another Special Dividend"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li><strong>Casino operator remains highly selective on mergers and acquisitions<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Analyst says another special dividend could be in the cards if Monarch doesn\u2019t strike a deal over the next two years<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p>In its typically quiet fashion, Monarch Casino &amp; Resort (NASDAQ: MCRI) stock is on an impressive run this year, surging 30.43% while outpacing the S&amp;P 500 by a margin of more than 2-to-1.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_258387\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-258387\" data-style=\"width: 858px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-258387 size-post-thumbnail-858xAUTO lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"Monarch Casino\" width=\"858\" height=\"483\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/atlantis-858x483-1.jpg\"><figcaption>Atlantis Casino Resort in Reno. Operator Monarch Casino &amp; Resort remains prudent about acquisitions. (Image: YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>All that while remaining a two-casino outfit. Monarch\u2019s roster of gaming venues remains comprised of the Atlantis in Reno and its namesake property in Black Hawk, Colo. By number of properties, the company is the smallest publicly traded casino operator in the US &#8212; a trait not lost on shareholders and one that has consistently sparked questions about potential deal-making.<\/p>\n<div class=\"callout\">\n<p>In a new report to clients, Truist Securities analyst Barry Jonas notes Monarch management remains <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/monarch-casino-has-avenues-to-share-price-appreciation\/\">highly selective<\/a> about possible deals, but executives are open to adding to their portfolio provided targets meet specific criteria.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Those include properties where the operator also owns the real estate, targets in fundamentally sound, growing markets with solid regulations, and regions that don&#8217;t permit iGaming.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this year, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/colorado-casino-hub-becomes-first-town-to-join-anti-igaming-group\/\">Black Hawk joined the<\/a> National Association Against iGaming (NAAG), becoming the first casino municipality in the country to do so. Internet casinos are permitted in Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia, so cross that group of the list of jurisdictions in which Monarch could go shopping.<\/p>\n<h2>Monarch Has Alternatives to M&amp;A<\/h2>\n<p>Should Monarch not identify <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/monarch-casino-mulling-acquisitions-sees-strength-in-colorado\/\">suitable acquisition targets<\/a>, the company has other levers it can pull to keep investors engaged.<\/p>\n<div class=\"callout\">\n<p>Jonas said if a deal isn\u2019t struck in the next two years, the regional casino operator could deliver another special dividend to go along with its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/monarch-casino-unveils-special-dividend-new-quarterly-payout\/\">regular quarterly payout<\/a> and \u201copportunistic\u201d share repurchases. The analyst reiterated a \u201cbuy\u201d rating and $120 price target on the stock.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>He also points out suitors have previously expressed interest in acquiring the Reno-based gaming company, but management isn\u2019t in a rush to sell and doesn\u2019t need to be.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMCRI has in the past received expressions of interest to acquire the company; and while they consider all options, they are ultimately focused on maximizing shareholder returns,\u201d observes Jonas.<\/p>\n<h2>Monarch Focusing on Colorado<\/h2>\n<p>Black Hawk is one of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/black-hawk-colo-one-of-fastest-growing-casino-markets-in-us\/\">the fastest-growing casino markets<\/a> in the US, and with Denver having long been one of the marquee feeder markets to Las Vegas, there\u2019s room for Monarch to add more share in Colorado by attracting more local customers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"callout\">\n<p>Due to real estate restrictions, it would be difficult for Monarch to expand its property there, but Jonas said \u201cmanagement will look at all opportunities in the market, inclusive of M&amp;A.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The issue is whether or not any of the other operators in Black Hawk &#8212; a group including Bally\u2019s, Caesars, Century Casinos, and Penn Entertainment &#8212; would be willing sellers. They might not be because, like Monarch, they know that Black Hawk is one of the most attractive gaming jurisdictions in the western US outside of Las Vegas.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/monarch-casino-still-picky-on-ma-could-deliver-another-special-dividend\/\">Monarch Casino Still Picky on M&#038;A, Could Deliver Another Special Dividend<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\">Casino.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Casino operator remains highly selective on mergers and acquisitions Analyst says another special dividend could be in the cards if Monarch doesn\u2019t strike a deal over the next two years In its typically quiet fashion, Monarch Casino &amp; Resort (NASDAQ: MCRI) stock is on an impressive run this year, surging 30.43% while outpacing the S&amp;P 500 by a margin of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1075,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1073"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1073"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1073\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1076,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1073\/revisions\/1076"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chuckwardrealestate.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}