The struggles of Las Vegas continued yesterday when MGM Resorts
Adjusted loss per share of $0.20 was a penny better than expectations of a $0.21 loss, but that didn't seem to matter as shares fell yesterday. The reaction to this quarter is a stark contrast to third-quarter results, which sent shares higher and gave some hope that a turnaround was under way, even if I wasn't buying it.
The company's new flagship property CityCenter shows you everything you need to know about how Las Vegas is performing. A year after opening, the property posted a $38.4 million operating loss attributable to MGM's share of the venture. The most expensive project in U.S. history isn't coming even close to being the transformational project MGM hoped it would be.
On the positive side, long-term debt is slowly but surely coming down as the company gets payments from Macau and unloads properties. MGM's debt burden fell from $14.1 billion in the third quarter to $12.0 billion to end last quarter.
The one bright spot was MGM Macau, the company's joint venture with Pansy Ho, which is starting to perform a little more like a Macau casino should. Operating income in Macau was $58.4 million, up from $9.7 million last year. VIP volume was up nearly 80% year over year, and the company is planning to cash in some of those winnings. A planned IPO of the Macau property could bring $800 million to the venture. Macau has produced great results from MGM and its competitors, and next week we find out if Melco Crown
MGM's Macau casino is a bright spot, but MGM is still left in the dust when compared to competitors who rely less on Las Vegas. Wynn Resorts
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