Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $59.58.

LVS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $60.00 to $69.00 in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $55.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays reduced their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $51.00 price target (down previously from $54.00) on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th.

Insider Transactions at Las Vegas Sands

In other news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 60,187 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.02, for a total value of $3,191,114.74. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Las Vegas Sands

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,050 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $305,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. raised its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 5,062 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $255,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 6,505 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $334,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 45.6% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 760 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 73.5% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 583 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Up 2.8 %

LVS opened at $43.38 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $31.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.08. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $47.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $46.93. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09. Las Vegas Sands has a 12 month low of $36.62 and a 12 month high of $56.60.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The casino operator reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.58 by ($0.04). Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 43.76% and a net margin of 12.80%. On average, equities analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.63 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. This is a boost from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. Las Vegas Sands’s payout ratio is presently 50.76%.

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.