Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) Receives $67.84 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $67.8438.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on LVS shares. Argus reduced their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $80.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $80.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed a “mixed” rating on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $61.00 price objective (down from $72.00) on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a report on Monday, April 6th.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

LVS opened at $57.22 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $37.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.45, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.89. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $55.14 and a 200 day moving average of $58.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.58, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.14. Las Vegas Sands has a fifty-two week low of $32.20 and a fifty-two week high of $70.45.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The casino operator reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $3.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.33 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.50% and a return on equity of 91.40%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.54 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands will post 3.18 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. This is a boost from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. Las Vegas Sands’s payout ratio is currently 51.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Las Vegas Sands news, CEO Patrick Dumont sold 60,165 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.75, for a total transaction of $3,294,033.75. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 511,942 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,028,824.50. This represents a 10.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LVS. Grove Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Las Vegas Sands during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Las Vegas Sands during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 48.0% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 512 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. DV Equities LLC purchased a new stake in Las Vegas Sands during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA purchased a new stake in Las Vegas Sands during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. 39.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Las Vegas Sands Company Profile

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) is a global developer and operator of integrated resorts, focused on large-scale properties that combine casino gaming with hotels, convention and exhibition facilities, retail, dining, and entertainment. The company’s operations center on developing and managing full-service resort complexes that serve both leisure and business travelers, with emphasis on convention and trade-show business in addition to gaming revenue streams.

The company’s portfolio has included prominent properties in North America and Asia, most notably The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, along with a significant presence in Macau through multiple integrated resorts.