Las Vegas Sands Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:LVS)

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) was the target of some unusual options trading on Monday. Investors bought 24,920 call options on the stock. Thisisanincreaseofapproximately57% compared to the average daily volume of 15,834 call options.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

Shares of LVS opened at $56.21 on Tuesday. Las Vegas Sands has a one year low of $30.18 and a one year high of $56.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.39, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The business has a fifty day moving average of $49.58 and a 200 day moving average of $43.33.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The casino operator reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.83 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.16% and a return on equity of 55.37%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.55 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.6 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 5th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 5th. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on LVS. Argus upgraded shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $59.00 to $58.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 21st. Mizuho boosted their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $48.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $52.50 to $58.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $58.33.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LVS. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 55.7% in the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 14,218,581 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $730,295,000 after buying an additional 5,088,095 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the first quarter worth about $183,836,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the second quarter worth about $134,179,000. ARGA Investment Management LP grew its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 36.8% during the second quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 10,040,975 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $436,883,000 after purchasing an additional 2,698,398 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,249,208 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $1,593,457,000 after purchasing an additional 2,267,307 shares during the period. 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.