Zinger Key Points
- Analysts remain cautious on Penn Entertainment's Interactive segment.
- ESPN Bet is showing growth in the early fourth quarter and could be the highlight for the company, analysts say.
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PENN Entertainment PENN analysts highlight the ESPN Bet and Interactive segment as items to watch after the company missed third-quarter estimates for revenue and earnings per share.
The PENN Analysts:
- Needham analyst Bernie McTernan reiterated a Buy rating on Penn Entertainment with a $26 price target.
- Truist analyst Barry Jonas reiterated a Buy rating with a $23 price target.
- Benchmark analyst Mike Hickey maintained a Hold rating with no price target.
Read Also: PENN Entertainment’s Product Enhancements And ESPN Integration Could Spark 2025 Growth, Says Analyst
Needham on PENN: ESPN Bet showed improvement in the third quarter, McTernan said in a new investor note.
"The highlight on earnings for us were the strong underlying fundamentals for ESPN Bet in October, with handle growth showing acceleration from September to October," McTernan said.
ESPN Bet saw handle growth up 61% year-over-year in October, up from +42% in the third quarter, McTernan added.
Penn also reported early strength from its ESPN and ESPN Bet linking initiative, the analyst added.
The analyst said Penn's online sports betting segment could see improvement in 2025 and the iGaming segment could benefit from the launch of a standalone Hollywood Casino app.
McTernan remains cautious and conservative on Penn's Interactive segment and expects continued losses in 2025.
Truist on PENN: An in-line third quarter will likely carry over to the fourth quarter with early momentum showing, Jonas said in a new investor note.
"All eyes remain on ESPN Bet, with encouraging KPIs as PENN continues to improve the product," Jonas said.
The analyst said Penn is working to improve the ESPN bet product and fourth-quarter results could show the efforts paying off.
Penn will provide 2025 guidance in February, with the analyst expecting the company to be "playing defense" until the relocated Hollywood Casino Joliet opens in the second half of 2025.
"Penn moves increasingly on offense into 2026."
Benchmark on PENN: Third-quarter results were "weak" and the company faces rising competition and high expenses in new markets, Hickey said in a new investor note.
"We believe it is unlikely that PENN will reach breakeven in the Interactive segment in 2025 as projected, unless they either shift focus away from market share growth or hold back on investments in new markets," Hickey said.
The ESPN Bet launch in New York and ESPN account-linking could help the Interactive segment, but Hickey cautions that Penn needs to show market share gains and operating growth.
The analyst said Penn's retail segment also saw disappointing results, with revenue declines in multiple regions.
PENN Price Action: Penn stock is up 0.6% to $20.35 on Friday, versus a 52-week trading range of $13.50 to $27.20. Penn stock is down 21% year-to-date in 2024.
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