Light & Wonder Inc (ASX: LNW) shares are storming higher today. At the time of writing the gaming technology company's shares are 11.06% higher and changing hands at $138.9 a piece.
Since bottoming to a two-year low on 31 October, Light & Wonder shares have jumped 27.04%. Thanks to today's uptick, the shares are nearly breakeven from this time last year. At the time of writing the shares are just 0.42% lower for the past 12 months.
What news has come out of Light & Wonder recently?
The company has made several price-sensitive announcements recently and its clear that investors have reacted very positively to the news.
It released its Q3 FY25 report on Thursday last week. The gaming technology company reported third quarter net income jumping 78%, and a 3% increase in consolidated revenue. Light & Wonder also revealed an adjusted earnings per share of $1.34, which beat estimates but fell short of its revenue projections.
The results were quickly followed by an announcement that Light & Wonder plans to extend the share repurchase program of its outstanding common stock to include buyback of its CHESS Depositary Interests (CDIs) on the ASX from 7th November.
Last week's updates follow another announcement out of the company in late October, confirming that it will cease trading on the Nasdaq on November 12 in order to transition to a sole primary listing of its common stock on the ASX. The move is part of a long-term plan to consolidate trading liquidity into the Australian stock market.
What's ahead for Light & Wonder shares?
If analyst outlooks are anything to go by, Light & Wonder shares have a lot further to run over the next 12 months.
TradingView data shows that out of 23 analysts, 17 have a buy or strong buy rating on the shares.
At the time of writing, the maximum upside is $253, which implies a huge potential 82.03% upside for the shares. Even the average $120.90 upside implies a significant upside of 23.48%, based on the share price at the time of writing.
Late last week, analysts at Macquarie confirmed its buy rating on the stock and lowered its price target to $170, which sits around half way between the maximum and average estimates above.
The broker commented that in the near-term, the ASX primary listing and litigation are overwhelming investor interest. But it thinks that when these issues clear over the next 6-12 months, there could be scope for a re-rating.
Analysts at Morgans are equally as bullish. It rates Light & Wonder shares as a buy with a $175 12-month target price. The broker said the gaming company's third quarter update was strong and that it is well-positioned to deliver on its guidance in FY25.
Meanwhile, Bell Potter has a buy rating and $176 price target on its shares. It said that while there are short term risks from litigation, investors should look beyond this and focus on the bigger picture.
