Caesars will launch their IPO under the ticker CZR. The company is offering 1,811,313 shares to the public priced at $9. Credit Suisse and Citigroup are the joint-book runners. Caesars operates under the Caesars, Harrah’s, and Horseshoe brand names. Caesars also owns the World Series of Poker and London Clubs. When the stock commences trading at $9 the market cap will be $1.1 billion and the enterprise value will be $22 billion as the company will still have a heavy debt load. Caesars valuation is down sharply from peak valuations in 2007. John Paulson has been one of the private investors.
Caesars comes public in a period of low interest costs where Vegas is starting to slowly recover. There is an old adage among Las Vegas gamblers: “don’t game where they don’t own the house”. It will be interesting to see if Caesars will maintain their levels of customer service in a period where expenses will be more scrutinized in the light of the public markets.
Casino Market Capitalizations:
Las Vegas Sands: $42B
Wynn Resorts: $14B
MGM Resorts: $7B
Caesars: $1.1B
