{"id":897619,"date":"2025-11-03T10:41:55","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T18:41:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/?p=897619"},"modified":"2025-11-03T10:42:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T18:42:00","slug":"best-of-the-rest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/blog\/best-of-the-rest\/","title":{"rendered":"Best of the Rest"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>&#8220;Solid&#8221; was <strong>Wall Street<\/strong>&#8216;s consensus on 3Q25 at <strong>Station Casinos<\/strong>. The company came in slightly under <strong>Deutsche Bank<\/strong>&#8216;s targets but analyst <strong>Steven Pizzella<\/strong> still seemed pleased. Revenue was $486.5 million and Station was noted to have weathered construction upheavals at several properties, as it upgrades its product. Restaurant business was good, with F&amp;B revenues hopping 2.5%. Thanks to room disruption at<strong> Green Valley Ranch<\/strong>, hotel revenues sagged 8%. And, for the first time, we heard that debility on the<strong> Las Vegas Strip<\/strong> might start dampening locals-casino results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>Management also unveiled details of the <strong>Durango Resort<\/strong> third (!) phase. It will, primarily, add locals-friendly amenities that were missing from Phases I &amp; II (not that it hurt the results). In addition to more dining, a bowling alley (36 lanes) and cineplex will be plugged into the Durango formula. Another 400 slot machines are coming, as &#8220;<em>multiple entertainment venues.<\/em>&#8221; It will take a year and a half (until July 2027), as well as $385 million, to make it happen but it&#8217;s unlikely to dent Durango&#8217;s supremacy in the market. Quite the contrary, according to Station execs. Pizzella also liked the continued population growth in the <strong>Las Vegas Valley<\/strong>, as well as &#8220;<em>a well articulated and manicured organic project pipeline largely isolated from competitive new supply.<\/em>&#8220;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-rounded\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"980\" height=\"654\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Copy-of-Durango-Casino-_-Resort-South-1.jpg?resize=980%2C654&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-858236\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Copy-of-Durango-Casino-_-Resort-South-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Copy-of-Durango-Casino-_-Resort-South-1-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Copy-of-Durango-Casino-_-Resort-South-1-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Copy-of-Durango-Casino-_-Resort-South-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Copy-of-Durango-Casino-_-Resort-South-1-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1366&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Copy-of-Durango-Casino-_-Resort-South-1-scaled.jpg?resize=445%2C297&amp;ssl=1 445w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Copy-of-Durango-Casino-_-Resort-South-1-scaled.jpg?w=1960&amp;ssl=1 1960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 980px) 100vw, 980px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Station came in ahead of <strong>Truist Securities&#8217;<\/strong> benchmarks, by contrast, and analyst <strong>Barry Jonas<\/strong> observed that the company saw best-ever third-quarter revenues and cash flow ($191 million). He added that Station&#8217;s brain trust &#8220;<em>remains very pleased with Durango, as the property continues to drive incremental play from new and existing customers<\/em>.&#8221; Bright spots going into the 4Q25 were normalized sports betting hold, as well as strength in both slot and table play. Jonas noted that the Durango prioritization pushed <strong>Inspirada Station<\/strong> and the <strong>Cactus Lane<\/strong> project (next door to <strong>South Point<\/strong>) onto the back burner. Again. Nor is more hotel-room capacity at Durango off the table. As for the <strong>North Fork Rancheria<\/strong> project in <strong>California<\/strong>, it&#8217;s on track to open in a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Company brass stated their happiness with the initial pair of Station-branded taverns in Las Vegas, although <strong>Golden Entertainment<\/strong> CEO (and Fertitta clan in-law) <strong>Blake Sartini<\/strong>&#8216;s reaction was not recorded. Five more watering holes are planned for next year, especially now that Station is capturing a younger cohort and penetrating underserved (if such a thing is possible) corners of the Vegas Valley. In its core business, meanwhile, Station is whupping the Strip&#8217;s room rates by 25%. Color us impressed.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-rounded\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"980\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Sunset-Station-revamp.png?resize=980%2C533&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-852862\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Sunset-Station-revamp.png?resize=1024%2C557&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Sunset-Station-revamp.png?resize=300%2C163&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Sunset-Station-revamp.png?resize=768%2C418&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Sunset-Station-revamp.png?resize=1536%2C836&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Sunset-Station-revamp.png?resize=2048%2C1115&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Sunset-Station-revamp.png?resize=445%2C242&amp;ssl=1 445w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Sunset-Station-revamp.png?w=1960&amp;ssl=1 1960w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Sunset-Station-revamp.png?w=2940&amp;ssl=1 2940w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 980px) 100vw, 980px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>J.P. Morgan<\/strong> analyst <strong>Daniel Politzer<\/strong> observed that Station &#8220;<em>has a lot going on right now re: construction projects\/disruption, but we have confidence [it] will generate solid high-teens returns on these investments over time<\/em>.&#8221; He projected that the impact of construction upheavals would be slightly less than anticipated ($20 million instead of $23 million), preponderantly at Green Valley Ranch. The latter will see at $200 million convention center re-do, while <strong>Sunset Station<\/strong> is slated for $53 million in facelifts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lastly, <strong>Jefferies Equity Research<\/strong> analyst <strong>David Katz <\/strong>reported that &#8220;<em>the long-term growth program remains on track, albeit with near-term earnings disruption and leverage, which could temper near-term upside in the shares.<\/em>&#8221; Hotel outperformance drove a modest beat of his estimates. Katz added that a new Durango parking garage and high-limit slot room should be on line next month. He also noted that management scored a $300 million tax windfall from the acceleration of depreciation schedules. Some folks have all the luck.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-rounded\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"980\" height=\"652\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/vrx_fremont_exterior_night_official.jpg?resize=980%2C652&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-863163\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/vrx_fremont_exterior_night_official-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C681&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/vrx_fremont_exterior_night_official-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C199&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/vrx_fremont_exterior_night_official-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C511&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/vrx_fremont_exterior_night_official-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1021&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/vrx_fremont_exterior_night_official-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1362&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/vrx_fremont_exterior_night_official-scaled.jpg?resize=445%2C296&amp;ssl=1 445w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/vrx_fremont_exterior_night_official-scaled.jpg?w=1960&amp;ssl=1 1960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 980px) 100vw, 980px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Wall Street&#8217;s message regarding<\/strong> 3Q25 at <strong>Boyd Gaming<\/strong> boiled down to &#8220;<em>solid quarter and consistent messaging<\/em>.&#8221; That&#8217;s Boyd, all right. It may not light your hair on fire but it&#8217;s a steady performer. Katz pointed to Boyd&#8217;s magazine of dry powder, saying the company could &#8220;<em>become more prominent in the near term as regional asset transactions become more active, given its financial capabilities.\u00a0Boyd is best positioned to play offense among a sector where defense is more the focus.<\/em>&#8221; In fact, Boyd outshot Katz&#8217;s expectations for revenue, bringing in $1 billion to his anticipated $848 million. Cash flow $322 million where Katz was prepared for $300 million. All that despite <strong>Las Vegas<\/strong> being merely as expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even so, Katz warned of soft tourism demand for Boyd&#8217;s <strong>Downtown<\/strong> and off-Strip product. iGaming was a powerhouse, with $166 million of revenue, though. &#8220;<em>With the <strong>FanDuel <\/strong>sale completed, the context for investing in growth becomes more prominent, with the market becoming more active, in our view,<\/em>&#8221; wrote Katz. He concluded by observing that Boyd is favorably positioned, particularly when compared to most of Big Gaming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before leaving Boyd, we shed a tear for <strong>Eastside Cannery<\/strong>, slated for demolition. It&#8217;s a well-designed casino that doesn&#8217;t deserve this sad fate. Boyd was so threatened by the Dollar Bills, (<strong>William Wortman<\/strong> and <strong>William Paulos<\/strong>) that it overindulged itself, buying out <strong>Cannery Casino Resorts<\/strong>, even though E-Can was hard by <strong>Sam&#8217;s Town<\/strong>. The redundancy was not only obvious to everybody except Boyd, it was terminal for E-Can, with a <strong>Covid-19<\/strong> closure being the final nail in the coffin. Eastside Cannery never reopened and now awaits a date with the wrecking ball. Boyd has no one to blame for this but itself.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"80\" height=\"61\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/raiders.png?resize=80%2C61&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-843380\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Gridion Grumbles:<\/strong> Congratulations to the hard-working <strong>Las Vegas Raiders<\/strong> for hanging tough yesterday. The Silver &amp; Black came within a two-point-conversion attempt of victory in overtime against the <strong>Jacksonville Jaguars<\/strong>. Coach <strong>Pete Carroll <\/strong>made a gutsy call at the end and no discredit should reflect on him by going for the win rather than playing it safe and settling for a tie. The good news is that the Raiders put up 29 points, suggesting that the <strong>Geno Smith<\/strong>-led offense is getting it together. The  bad news is that the Jaguars scored 30, showing how porous the vaunted Raider defense is. Matters don&#8217;t get easier, as the Silver &amp; Black travel to<strong> Colorado<\/strong> for an uphill battle against the <strong>Denver Broncos<\/strong>. Can the Raiders get an intra-divisional victory? It doesn&#8217;t appear likely.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Solid&#8221; was Wall Street&#8216;s consensus on 3Q25 at Station Casinos. The company came in slightly under Deutsche Bank&#8216;s targets but analyst Steven Pizzella still seemed pleased. Revenue was $486.5 million and Station was noted to have weathered construction upheavals at several properties, as it upgrades its product. Restaurant business was good, with F&amp;B revenues hopping [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83928,"featured_media":861573,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1728],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/red-rock-resort_1800_480x240.jpg?fit=480%2C240&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897619"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83928"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=897619"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":897620,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897619\/revisions\/897620"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/861573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=897619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=897619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=897619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}