CHDN vs MLCO vs LAWIL Stock Comparison

Churchill Downs, Melco Resorts & Entertainment and Light & Wonder Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
CHDN Churchill Downs Inc
$81.95 +8.2% 1M -17.7% 1Y
Market cap
$5.62B
P/E
12.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.00B
Div. yield
0.53%
Casinos Consumer Discretionary
4 wins
LAWIL Light & Wonder, Inc.
$92.45 +10.1% 1M
Market cap
$7.12B
P/E
26.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.35B
Div. yield
–
Casinos Consumer Discretionary
3 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Melco Resorts & Entertainment leads on 4 of the 12 questions below (Melco Resorts & Entertainment 4, Churchill Downs 4, Light & Wonder 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCHDNMLCOLAWILLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $5.62B $1.52B $7.12B LAWIL
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 12.6x 6.3x 26.4x MLCO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 11.7x 10.7x 12.5x MLCO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +4.2% +5.2% +4.8% MLCO
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 15.1% 5.0% 8.1% CHDN
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 9.0% 9.4% 9.5% LAWIL
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 4.5x 30.2x 4.5x LAWIL
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.53% 0.00% — –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -17.7% -54.2% — CHDN
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -6.6%/yr -19.2%/yr — CHDN
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 34.1% 39.2% — CHDN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 51/100 72/100 63/100 MLCO

Percentile Scorecard

CHDNMLCOLAWIL

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisCHDNMLCOLAWIL
Valuation 67 #15 of 44 95 #3 of 44 49 #23 of 44
Growth 67 #15 of 43 91 #5 of 43 64 #16 of 43
Profitability 81 #9 of 42 83 #8 of 42 88 #6 of 42
Financial Health 22 #37 of 47 20 #38 of 47 35 #31 of 47
Shareholder Returns 19 #23 of 28 – 78 #7 of 28
Overall 51 72 63
  • CHDN ranked among 48 companies in Gaming and Leisure
  • MLCO ranked among 48 companies in Gaming and Leisure
  • LAWIL ranked among 48 companies in Gaming and Leisure

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodCHDNMLCOLAWILSPY
1 month +8.2%-20.1%+10.1% +0.9%
3 months -7.4%-34.4%+12.7% +5.9%
6 months -19.0%-32.2%-9.4% +8.5%
Year to date -28.0%-50.7%— +13.3%
1 year -17.7%-54.2%— +12.4%
3 years -24.5%-55.5%— +88.1%
3 years, per year -8.9%-23.7%— +23.5%
5 years -28.7%-65.6%— +68.2%
5 years, per year -6.6%-19.2%— +11.0%
10 years +262.9%-77.9%— +263.4%
10 years, per year +13.8%-14.0%— +13.8%

Risk

MeasureCHDNMLCOLAWILSPY
Volatility, 1Y 34.1%39.2%— 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 34.3%46.6%— 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.500.67— 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.52-1.38— 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -50.4%-74.1%-19.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -30.3%-60.3%-9.4% -0.9%
52-week high $117.59$9.39$102.00 $779.14
52-week low $73.95$3.73$82.00 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleCHDNMLCOLAWIL
P/E now vs peer median 12.6xmedian 16.8x 6.3xmedian 16.8x 26.4xmedian 16.8x
P/S now vs peer median 1.9xmedian 1.9x 0.3xmedian 1.9x 2.1xmedian 1.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 10.2xmedian 10.2x 40.2xmedian 10.2x 10.9xmedian 10.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median 10.6xmedian 11.2x 3.0xmedian 11.2x 12.8xmedian 11.2x
P/B now vs peer median 4.1xmedian 2.2x 172.9xmedian 2.2x 23.6xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 1.09median 0.44 0.18median 0.44 -4.35median 0.44

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsCHDNMLCOLAWIL
Revenue $3.00B $4.69B $3.35B
Gross profit $1.03B $4.54B $2.49B
Operating income $766.80M $477.81M $665.00M
Net income $455.50M $196.16M $271.00M
Free cash flow $529.90M $506.29M $555.00M
R&D – $4.78M $250.00M
EPS (diluted) $6.50 $0.59 $3.45
Cash & equivalents $167.00M $454.26M $148.00M
Total debt $4.72B $5.07B $20.38B
Shares (diluted) 70.00M 400.63M 78.50M
Enterprise value $4.88B -$1.10B $6.43B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricCHDNMLCOLAWIL
P/E 12.6x 6.3x 26.4x
P/FCF 10.6x 3.0x 12.8x
P/Operating cash flow 7.4x 1.9x 8.1x
P/S 1.9x 0.3x 2.1x
P/B 4.1x 172.9x 23.6x
P/Tangible book -5.0x -8.7x -16.8x
EV/EBITDA 10.2x 40.2x 10.9x
EV/EBIT 13.3x 12.8x 18.2x
EV/Revenue 3.4x 1.3x 3.6x
EV/FCF 19.2x 12.1x 21.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 13.5x 7.8x 13.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.09 0.18 -4.35

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCHDNMLCOLAWIL
Revenue growth (1Y) 4.2% 5.2% 4.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 8.1% 35.8% 7.0%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 6.2% 5.4% 8.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 10.2% 35.9% 9.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) 11.6% 24.6% -4.9%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 17.8% 53.5% 18.3%
Net income growth (1Y) 12.4% 914.5% -22.3%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 8.1% 32.2% -12.6%
EPS growth (1Y) 14.3% 347.7% -14.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 11.6% 34.2% -6.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -6.1% 3.7% 44.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 8.9% 84.2% 75.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 17.7% -3.5% 67.7%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 110.1% 38.1% 46.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCHDNMLCOLAWIL
Gross margin 34.1% 96.6% 74.4%
EBITDA margin 33.3% 3.3% 33.0%
Operating margin 25.5% 10.2% 19.9%
Pretax margin 21.1% 4.0% 10.4%
Net margin 15.1% 5.0% 8.1%
FCF margin 17.6% 10.8% 16.6%
Operating cash flow margin 25.2% 16.9% 26.4%
Return on equity 33.6% 1,233% 88.4%
Return on assets 6.1% 3.2% 4.3%
Return on invested capital 9.0% 9.4% 9.5%
Return on capital employed 12.4% 9.4% 11.8%
Asset turnover 0.4x 0.8x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.7x 4.0x 3.3x
Stock comp / revenue 1.0% – 3.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCHDNMLCOLAWIL
Debt / assets 63.2% 80.3% 80.6%
Debt / equity 3.4x 578.4x 17.0x
Net debt / EBITDA 4.5x 30.2x 4.5x
Debt / FCF 8.9x 10.0x 9.2x
Liabilities / assets 81.5% 99.9% 95.3%
Equity / assets 18.5% 0.1% 4.7%
Interest coverage 2.7x 1.4x –
Current ratio 0.3x 1.0x 1.7x
Quick ratio 0.2x 1.0x 1.1x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.5x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 1.41 0.72 1.75

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCHDNMLCOLAWIL
Dividend yield 0.5% – –
Net buyback yield 1.3% – 10.9%
Shareholder yield 1.9% 0.0% 10.9%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusCHDNMLCOLAWIL
Forward P/E 11.7xFY2026 10.7xFY2026 12.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $7.03FY2026 $0.35FY2026 $7.40FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +14.7%FY2026 -23.9%FY2026 +10.6%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -3.0% +57.1% +29.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $3.17BFY2026 $5.39BFY2026 $3.61BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +8.2%FY2026 +4.4%FY2026 +8.9%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +1.4% -8.0% -5.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCHDNMLCOLAWIL
Held by institutions 85.5% 25.7% –
Institutions holding 463 165 –
Change in shares held, QoQ +7.5% -6.1% –
Institutions buying 240 84 –
Institutions selling 146 49 –
Buyers to sellers 1.64 1.71 –

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

CHDNMLCOLAWIL
CHDN 1.00 0.21 –
MLCO 0.21 1.00 –
LAWIL – – –

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CHDN, MLCO and LAWIL?

Light & Wonder (LAWIL) is the largest by market capitalisation: Churchill Downs (CHDN) $5.62B, Melco Resorts & Entertainment (MLCO) $1.52B, Light & Wonder (LAWIL) $7.12B.

Which stock is cheaper, CHDN, MLCO and LAWIL?

Melco Resorts & Entertainment (MLCO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Churchill Downs (CHDN) 12.6x, Melco Resorts & Entertainment (MLCO) 6.3x, Light & Wonder (LAWIL) 26.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Melco Resorts & Entertainment (MLCO) is cheapest (Churchill Downs (CHDN) 11.7x, Melco Resorts & Entertainment (MLCO) 10.7x, Light & Wonder (LAWIL) 12.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Melco Resorts & Entertainment (MLCO) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Churchill Downs (CHDN) +4.2%, Melco Resorts & Entertainment (MLCO) +5.2%, Light & Wonder (LAWIL) +4.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Churchill Downs (CHDN) has the highest net margin (Churchill Downs (CHDN) 15.1%, Melco Resorts & Entertainment (MLCO) 5.0%, Light & Wonder (LAWIL) 8.1%). On return on invested capital, Light & Wonder (LAWIL) leads (Churchill Downs (CHDN) 9.0%, Melco Resorts & Entertainment (MLCO) 9.4%, Light & Wonder (LAWIL) 9.5%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Churchill Downs (CHDN) returned the most: Churchill Downs (CHDN) -17.7%, Melco Resorts & Entertainment (MLCO) -54.2%. Over five years, Churchill Downs (CHDN) compounded fastest (Churchill Downs (CHDN) -6.6%/yr, Melco Resorts & Entertainment (MLCO) -19.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Churchill Downs (CHDN) 0.53%, Melco Resorts & Entertainment (MLCO) 0.00%. Melco Resorts & Entertainment (MLCO) and Light & Wonder (LAWIL) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Churchill Downs (CHDN) has been the steadiest (Churchill Downs (CHDN) 34.1%, Melco Resorts & Entertainment (MLCO) 39.2%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CHDN, MLCO and LAWIL?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Melco Resorts & Entertainment (MLCO) leads on 4. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.