Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Given New $80.00 Price Target at Argus

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) had its price target lifted by Argus from $65.00 to $80.00 in a report published on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. Argus currently has a buy rating on the casino operator’s stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Wall Street Zen raised Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Macquarie increased their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $65.60.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of NYSE LVS opened at $69.46 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $58.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $52.08. The company has a market cap of $46.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.43, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.03. Las Vegas Sands has a 12 month low of $30.18 and a 12 month high of $70.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.42.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $3.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.04 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 73.14%. The company’s revenue was up 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.44 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 4th were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 4th. Las Vegas Sands’s payout ratio is currently 45.25%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Las Vegas Sands news, CFO Randy Hyzak sold 57,545 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.45, for a total value of $3,823,865.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 53,499 shares in the company, valued at $3,555,008.55. This trade represents a 51.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 360,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.05, for a total transaction of $22,698,000.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 2,157,545 shares of company stock worth $130,042,065 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Las Vegas Sands

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 66.7% in the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,506 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $135,000 after buying an additional 1,003 shares during the last quarter. Caerus Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $220,000. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $8,050,000. Mizuho Markets Cayman LP acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $8,703,000. Finally, Stance Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $52,000. 39.16% of the stock is currently 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.