Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Given New $65.00 Price Target at Stifel Nicolaus

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) had its price target reduced by Stifel Nicolaus from $70.00 to $65.00 in a research report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the casino operator’s stock.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $59.00 to $55.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $70.00 to $65.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $64.47.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

NYSE:LVS opened at $45.88 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $52.22 and a 200-day moving average of $49.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96. Las Vegas Sands has a twelve month low of $43.77 and a twelve month high of $65.58.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 17th. The casino operator reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $2.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 13.99% and a return on equity of 41.81%. Las Vegas Sands’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.28 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.67 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 6th were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 5th. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.65%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.06, for a total value of $5,206,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 172,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,996,020.06. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.91% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 652,220 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $29,898,000 after buying an additional 30,500 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 182.9% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 698,686 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $34,264,000 after acquiring an additional 451,710 shares during the period. DNB Asset Management AS raised its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 50.4% in the 4th quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 672,905 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $33,114,000 after acquiring an additional 225,351 shares during the period. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 15.6% in the 3rd quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 10,195 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $467,000 after acquiring an additional 1,379 shares during the period. Finally, AM Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,076,000. 39.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Las Vegas Sands

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.