Investors Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS)

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) saw unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders bought 44,801 call options on the company. This is an increase of 124% compared to the average daily volume of 19,964 call options.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

LVS opened at $51.36 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $51.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $46.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.24 billion, a PE ratio of 25.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.10. Las Vegas Sands has a 52 week low of $36.62 and a 52 week high of $56.60.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The casino operator reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $2.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.79 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 44.26% and a net margin of 13.29%. Las Vegas Sands’s quarterly revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.55 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 5th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 5th. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.60%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group raised their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $58.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $55.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $58.42.

Insider Transactions at Las Vegas Sands

In related news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 60,187 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.02, for a total transaction of $3,191,114.74. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 24,324 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.00, for a total transaction of $1,264,848.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,129,724. This trade represents a 28.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 203,732 shares of company stock valued at $10,861,707. Company insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 159.6% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 9,130,486 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $459,630,000 after buying an additional 5,612,975 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 987.0% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 5,549,615 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $245,570,000 after acquiring an additional 5,039,072 shares during the period. Charles Lim Capital Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 178.3% in the second quarter. Charles Lim Capital Ltd now owns 1,600,000 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $70,800,000 after acquiring an additional 1,025,000 shares in the last quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP raised its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 24.8% during the third quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 4,924,340 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $247,891,000 after purchasing an additional 977,636 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 44.1% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,949,670 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $130,523,000 after purchasing an additional 903,400 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

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.