Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Reaches New 52-Week High on Analyst Upgrade

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Friday after The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on the stock from $57.00 to $64.00. The Goldman Sachs Group currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Las Vegas Sands traded as high as $58.29 and last traded at $58.11, with a volume of 1777682 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $56.89.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research raised shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Argus increased their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Las Vegas Sands presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $63.73.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 0.3% in the second quarter. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC now owns 61,993 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $2,697,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 37.5% during the second quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 876 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 239 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. raised its position in Las Vegas Sands by 21.4% during the second quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,401 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 247 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 18,189 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $791,000 after acquiring an additional 273 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Center for Financial Planning Inc. lifted its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 31.3% in the 2nd quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 1,440 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 343 shares in the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $53.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $46.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.01.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $3.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 66.94% and a net margin of 12.69%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.44 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 4th will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 4th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.51%.

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.