Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS – Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $68.97.
Several research analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group boosted their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $71.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 16th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $68.00 to $64.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 13th. StockNews.com cut Las Vegas Sands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 8th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $69.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $71.00 to $64.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 26th.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Las Vegas Sands news, major shareholder Miriam Adelson sold 12,253,628 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.23, for a total transaction of $529,724,338.44. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 41,134,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,778,229,909.72. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands
A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. EA Series Trust acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the second quarter worth approximately $3,081,000. Mutual Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the second quarter worth approximately $323,000. Wedmont Private Capital acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the second quarter worth approximately $260,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc raised its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 104.0% during the second quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc now owns 1,930 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $112,000 after purchasing an additional 984 shares during the period. Finally, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. raised its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 15.2% during the second quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 32,077 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $1,860,000 after purchasing an additional 4,224 shares during the period. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Las Vegas Sands Stock Down 0.3 %
LVS stock opened at $49.61 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $37.66 billion, a PE ratio of 56.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.18. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $50.85. Las Vegas Sands has a 52 week low of $43.77 and a 52 week high of $65.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.82.
Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 18th. The casino operator reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.55. The firm had revenue of $2.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.72 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 21.05% and a net margin of 7.81%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 178.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.27) earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands will post 1.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 7th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 6th. Las Vegas Sands’s payout ratio is 90.91%.
Las Vegas Sands declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, October 18th that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the casino operator to repurchase up to 5.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.
Las Vegas Sands Company Profile
Las Vegas Sands Corp., together with its subsidiaries, develops, owns, and operates integrated resorts in Macao and Singapore. It owns and operates The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel, the Londoner Macao, The Parisian Macao, The Plaza Macao and Four Seasons Hotel Macao, Cotai Strip, and the Sands Macao in Macao, the People’s Republic of China; and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.