{"id":2417845,"date":"2026-05-15T10:15:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T10:15:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2417845"},"modified":"2026-05-15T10:15:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T10:15:32","slug":"accel-entertainments-q1-earnings-call-our-top-5-analyst-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/accel-entertainments-q1-earnings-call-our-top-5-analyst-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Accel Entertainment\u2019s Q1 Earnings Call: Our Top 5 Analyst Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"article-body\">\n<div class=\"bodyItems-wrapper\">\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->Accel Entertainment\u2019s first quarter results for 2026 received a negative reaction from the market, reflecting a mix of top-line growth and profit margin pressures. Management pointed to robust revenue gains, especially in developing markets like Nebraska and Georgia, as well as continued operational strength in Illinois. CEO Andrew Rubenstein credited disciplined execution, stating, \u201cThese results reflected the continued strength of our distributed gaming model, ongoing momentum in our developing markets, and our team\u2019s disciplined execution.\u201d However, increased depreciation and expense timing at Fairmont Park weighed on bottom-line results, and investors appeared cautious given the modest EPS shortfall versus expectations.<!-- HTML_TAG_END --><\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->Is now the time to buy ACEL? <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/stockstory.org\/us\/stocks\/nyse\/acel?utm_source=earningsCall&amp;utm_medium=yahoo&amp;utm_campaign=earningsCallIntroCTA&amp;utm_article=C1F5b2kGZUQ%3D&amp;utm_ticker=ACEL\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Find out in our full research report (it\u2019s free).;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Find out in our full research report (it\u2019s free).&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Find out in our full research report (it\u2019s free).<\/a><!-- HTML_TAG_END --><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"text article-heading-atom neo-font-label-2xl-emphasis  yf-18d6y07\" id=\"\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->Accel Entertainment (ACEL) Q1 CY2026 Highlights:<!-- HTML_TAG_END --> <\/h3>\n<ul class=\"yf-1p2hw41\">\n<li class=\"yf-1p2hw41\">\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START --><strong>Revenue:<\/strong> $351.6 million vs analyst estimates of $343.7 million (8.5% year-on-year growth, 2.3% beat)<!-- HTML_TAG_END --><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"yf-1p2hw41\">\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START --><strong>Adjusted EPS:<\/strong> $0.27 vs analyst estimates of $0.25 (11.6% beat)<!-- HTML_TAG_END --><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"yf-1p2hw41\">\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START --><strong>Adjusted EBITDA:<\/strong> $53.76 million vs analyst estimates of $53.62 million (15.3% margin, in line)<!-- HTML_TAG_END --><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"yf-1p2hw41\">\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START --><strong>Operating Margin:<\/strong> 7.7%, in line with the same quarter last year<!-- HTML_TAG_END --><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"yf-1p2hw41\">\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START --><strong>Video Gaming Terminals Sold:<\/strong> up 1,173 year on year<!-- HTML_TAG_END --><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"yf-1p2hw41\">\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START --><strong>Market Capitalization:<\/strong> $940.1 million<!-- HTML_TAG_END --><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->While we enjoy listening to the management&#8217;s commentary, our favorite part of earnings calls are the analyst questions. Those are unscripted and can often highlight topics that management teams would rather avoid or topics where the answer is complicated. Here is what has caught our attention.<!-- HTML_TAG_END --><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"text article-heading-atom neo-font-label-2xl-emphasis  yf-18d6y07\" id=\"\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->Our Top 5 Analyst Questions From Accel Entertainment\u2019s Q1 Earnings Call<!-- HTML_TAG_END --> <\/h3>\n<ul class=\"yf-1p2hw41\">\n<li class=\"yf-1p2hw41\">\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START --><strong>Patrick Keough (Truist Securities)<\/strong> asked about early adoption and cost impact of TITO technology; CFO Brett Summerer explained adoption is at 13% and benefits will build gradually with further rollout.<!-- HTML_TAG_END --><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"yf-1p2hw41\">\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START --><strong>Steven Donald Pizzella (Deutsche Bank)<\/strong> inquired about the impact of gas prices on customer behavior; CEO Andrew Rubenstein noted no material effect so far, emphasizing the hyperlocal nature of Accel\u2019s customer base.<!-- HTML_TAG_END --><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"yf-1p2hw41\">\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START --><strong>Jordan Bender (Citizens)<\/strong> questioned the ongoing pruning of Illinois locations; President Mark Phelan responded that pruning is opportunistic and mainly targets cash-burning locations, with less \u201clow-hanging fruit\u201d remaining.<!-- HTML_TAG_END --><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"yf-1p2hw41\">\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START --><strong>Chad C. Beynon (Macquarie Capital)<\/strong> sought updates on legislative progress for new market entry; Phelan expressed skepticism about significant legislative movement in 2026, citing recent setbacks like the Virginia veto.<!-- HTML_TAG_END --><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"yf-1p2hw41\">\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START --><strong>Maxwell James Marsh (CBRE)<\/strong> asked about EBITDA margin trends; Summerer highlighted seasonal patterns and pointed to growth in non-regulated markets as a driver for future margin improvement.<!-- HTML_TAG_END --><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>   <button class=\"secondary-btn fin-size-large readmore-button    rounded   yf-r7dg9i\" data-ylk=\"elm:readmore;itc:1;sec:content-canvas;slk:Story%20Continues\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;readmore&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Story Continues&quot;}\" aria-label=\"Story Continues\" title=\"Story Continues\"> <span>Story Continues<\/span> <\/button> <\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more-wrapper\" style=\"display: none\" data-testid=\"read-more\">\n<h3 class=\"text article-heading-atom neo-font-label-2xl-emphasis  yf-18d6y07\" id=\"\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->Catalysts in Upcoming Quarters<!-- HTML_TAG_END --> <\/h3>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->In the coming quarters, the StockStory team will be watching (1) progress on regulatory approvals for Chicago VGT locations and the speed of market entry; (2) measured adoption and impact of TITO technology on both operational costs and player engagement; and (3) continued revenue and margin momentum in developing states like Nebraska and Georgia. Execution of the M&amp;A pipeline and integration of recent acquisitions will also be key areas of focus for sustainable growth.<!-- HTML_TAG_END --><\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->Accel Entertainment currently trades at $11.82, down from $12.47 just before the earnings. Is the company at an inflection point that warrants a buy or sell? <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/stockstory.org\/us\/stocks\/nyse\/acel?utm_source=earningsCall&amp;utm_medium=yahoo&amp;utm_campaign=earningsCallQuestionCTA&amp;utm_article=C1F5b2kGZUQ%3D&amp;utm_ticker=ACEL\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:See for yourself in our full research report (it\u2019s free for active Edge members);elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;See for yourself in our full research report (it\u2019s free for active Edge members)&quot;}\" class=\"link \">See for yourself in our full research report (it\u2019s free for active Edge members)<\/a>.<!-- HTML_TAG_END --><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"text article-heading-atom neo-font-label-2xl-emphasis  yf-18d6y07\" id=\"\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->Our Favorite Stocks Right Now<!-- HTML_TAG_END --> <\/h3>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START --><strong>ONE MORE THING: Top 5 Growth Stocks.<\/strong> The biggest stock winners almost always had one thing in common before they ran. Revenue growing like crazy. Meta. CrowdStrike. Broadcom. Our AI flagged all three. They returned 315%, 314%, and 455%, respectively.<!-- HTML_TAG_END --><\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->Find out which 5 stocks it&#8217;s flagging for this month &#8211; FREE. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/stockstory.org\/high-quality\/top-growth-stocks?utm_source=earningsCall&amp;utm_medium=yahoo&amp;utm_campaign=EndCategory&amp;utm_content=20260301_top_5_growth&amp;utm_article=C1F5b2kGZUQ%3D&amp;utm_ticker=ACEL\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Get Our Top 5 Growth Stocks for Free HERE;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Get Our Top 5 Growth Stocks for Free HERE&quot;}\" class=\"link \"> <strong>Get Our Top 5 Growth Stocks for Free HERE<\/strong><\/a>.<!-- HTML_TAG_END --><\/p>\n<p class=\"yf-1fy9kyt\"><!-- HTML_TAG_START -->Stocks that have made our list include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,326% between June 2020 and June 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Tecnoglass (+1,754% five-year return). <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/stockstory.org\/discover\/high-quality-stocks?utm_source=earningsCall&amp;utm_medium=yahoo&amp;utm_campaign=discover&amp;utm_article=C1F5b2kGZUQ%3D&amp;utm_ticker=ACEL\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Find your next big winner with StockStory today;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Find your next big winner with StockStory today&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Find your next big winner with StockStory today<\/a>.<!-- HTML_TAG_END --><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source finance.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Accel Entertainment\u2019s first quarter results for 2026 received a negative reaction from the market, reflecting a mix of top-line growth and profit margin pressures. Management pointed to robust revenue gains, especially in developing markets like Nebraska and Georgia, as well as continued operational strength in Illinois. CEO Andrew Rubenstein credited disciplined execution, stating, \u201cThese results [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2135905,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[317521,452831,469732,473413,473414,447823,432368],"class_list":["post-2417845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-analyst-estimates","tag-andrew-rubenstein","tag-brett-summerer","tag-developing-markets","tag-illinois-locations","tag-mark-phelan","tag-profit-margin"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Accel-Entertainment-NYSEACEL-Beats-Q3-Sales-Expectations.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2417845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2417845"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2417845\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2417846,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2417845\/revisions\/2417846"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2135905"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2417845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2417845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2417845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}