Prospects for the gaming sector with a focus on Aristocrat Leisure

James Nguyen, Equities Research Analyst undertook a research trip to the US in late 2015 to gather intelligence on the state of the gaming industry and the performance of gaming machine manufacturers given the dramatic market share shifts over the past two years. He discusses his views on the sector and focuses on Aristocrat as an example of the way the Nikko AM intrinsic value investment process differentiates us from our more ‘academic’ value peers. For the past three years, we believe Aristocrat has demonstrated that it has the depth and breadth to sustain a long-term US market share of 20% of the outright sale market. This has also coincided with a period where Aristocrat’s two largest competitors have undergone significant M&A activity, with their balance sheets highly stretched. In Australia, we believe Aristocrat can maintain 40% market share domestically over the medium term. (VIEW LINK)