Sterne Agee Raises Price Target on International Game Technology; Maintains “Buy” Rating (IGT)

Analysts at Sterne Agee noted on Monday that International Game Technology’s (IGT) fiscal 2014 growth is stronger than it appears. As such, the analysts raised the price target on the casino gaming equipment manufacturer.

The analysts maintain a “Buy” rating on IGT and now see shares reaching $25, up from the previous target of $23. This new price target suggests a 23% upside to the stock’s Friday closing price of $20.32.

“Excluding FY13 Canadian VLT sales, which do not recur in FY14, consensus FY14 EPS growth is ~14% versus ‘in-print’ consensus EPS growth of ~4%,” Sterne Agee analyst David Bain said. “We believe IGT’s peer-low stock valuation is partly driven by a misinterpretation of forward growth using ‘in-print’ FY14 EPS projections.”

Futhermore, the firm raised IGT’s fourth quarter EPS estimates from 33 cents to 34 cents.

IGT shares were inactive during pre-market trading on Monday. The stock is up 43.4% year-to-date.