Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Upgraded to Buy by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday.

LVS has been the topic of several other research reports. Mizuho started coverage on Las Vegas Sands in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. They set a buy rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock. Susquehanna started coverage on Las Vegas Sands in a report on Friday, December 15th. They set a positive rating and a $59.00 price target on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $68.37.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of LVS opened at $51.86 on Wednesday. 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 1.30, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $52.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $49.45. The stock has a market cap of $38.96 billion, a PE ratio of 32.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.16.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The casino operator reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.61 by ($0.04). Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 34.40% and a net margin of 11.77%. The business had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.89 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.19) EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 161.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 6th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 5th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.54%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Las Vegas Sands 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 transaction of $5,206,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 172,801 shares in the company, valued at $8,996,020.06. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Las Vegas Sands

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LVS. MML Investors Services LLC grew its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 1.9% during the first quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 9,767 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $561,000 after buying an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Horizon Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 4.3% during the second quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 4,964 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $287,000 after buying an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 32,842 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $1,579,000 after buying an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 16.4% during the fourth quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,560 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $75,000 after buying an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Waldron Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC now owns 12,361 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $608,000 after buying an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.