Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN) is receiving some constructive price target adjustments from sell-side analysts following its analyst tour/investor day in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last week.

Jefferies analyst David Katz raised his price objective for Wynn from $146 to $155 in a Sunday client note, reiterating his "buy" rating. Steven Wieczynski, a Stifel analyst, went one step further and increased his price target for the gaming stock to $160. The positive adjustments are motivated by the $5.1 billion Wynn Al Marjan Island. Positive demographic factors in the UAE were noted by Katz as possible drivers for the Wynn project.

"The locals’ base is expanding and the inflow of high-net-worth individuals to the UAE is growing at 10X the pre-COVID average (9,800 in 2025E),” observes the analyst. “Rising wealth growth among the top-tier income levels is expected to continue through 2030. The continued inflow is driven by zero income tax, global safety leadership, long-term visa reforms, rapid infrastructure advancement, and wealth management.”

The first regulated gaming site in the Middle East, Wynn Al Marjan Island, is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2027. According to Katz, the project is worth $21 in relation to Wynn's stock price.

Assumptions at UAE Casinos May Be Too Restricted

The Wynn location is anticipated to be a significant tourist attraction in an area that is already a hub for foreign travel, possibly helping the UAE rise in the world's gambling industry.

According to some projections, the market's annual gross gaming revenue (GGR) might reach $3 billion to $5 billion as it develops and additional integrated resorts open. That would be sufficient to propel the UAE to third place among the world's casino markets, either near or above Singapore. That $3 billion to $5 billion estimate was deemed "un-aggressive" by Katz. His Stifel counterpart seems to concur, especially with regard to Wynn.

Wiecyznski points out that Wynn's estimates for the UAE venue might turn out to be overly conservative, citing a predicted, ongoing shortage of hotel rooms in Ras Al Khaimah.

“Bottom line is that we see considerable upside to WYNN’s current UAE forecast,” notes the Stifel analyst. “With at least a four-to-five-year advantage on any competition, strong demographic growth in the region, and a management team that has proven they can execute and operate integrated resorts, we believe WYNN’s UAE project remains undervalued/misunderstood by the investment community.”

For now, Wynn remains a Macau tale

The operator's Wynn Macau subsidiary will likely continue to steer the stock's direction until Wynn Al Marjan Island opens in around 15 months, which may be acceptable to investors given that Macau stocks, including the Wynn company, are doing well this year.

"Between now and the opening in 2027, WYNN shares should be driven by the low visibility in [the] Macau market, which should generate modest-to-solid growth, and Las Vegas, which also appears to be at/near peak volume levels as a market,” adds Katz.

Due to investor bets that the forthcoming Middle East casino resort will be a crucial long-term global diversifier for the Las Vegas-based company, Wynn's current reliance on Macau underscores the significance of its UAE execution.