Robert Goldstein Sells 17,095 Shares of Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Stock

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) CEO Robert Goldstein sold 17,095 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.03, for a total transaction of $1,145,877.85. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE LVS opened at $65.23 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.97. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 52 week low of $30.18 and a 52 week high of $70.45. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $60.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $53.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.42.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.16. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 73.14%. The company had revenue of $3.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.04 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.44 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The company 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 4th. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $66.00 target price for the company. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $59.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $75.50 to $76.75 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.45.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 69.3% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 567,101 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $21,907,000 after acquiring an additional 232,091 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,101,190 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $119,799,000 after purchasing an additional 12,593 shares during the period. Ground Swell Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the 1st quarter valued at $225,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Las Vegas Sands by 7.1% in the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 644,286 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $28,033,000 after purchasing an additional 42,598 shares during the period. Finally, Jump Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 560.4% during the first quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 70,685 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $2,731,000 after purchasing an additional 59,982 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.