Patrick Dumont Sells 60,165 Shares of Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Stock

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) CEO Patrick Dumont sold 60,165 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.75, for a total value of $3,294,033.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 511,942 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,028,824.50. This represents a 10.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

Shares of LVS stock opened at $52.92 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.58, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.14. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 52 week low of $30.18 and a 52 week high of $70.45. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $56.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $58.78. The company has a market capitalization of $35.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.88.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The casino operator reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.08. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.50% and a return on equity of 91.40%. The company had revenue of $3.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.54 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. This is a boost from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Macquarie Infrastructure reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Las Vegas Sands from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $76.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. HSBC boosted their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $67.50 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Las Vegas Sands from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $68.55.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Total Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the second quarter worth $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust bought a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 48.0% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 512 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Las Vegas Sands Company Profile

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) is a global developer and operator of integrated resorts, focused on large-scale properties that combine casino gaming with hotels, convention and exhibition facilities, retail, dining, and entertainment. The company’s operations center on developing and managing full-service resort complexes that serve both leisure and business travelers, with emphasis on convention and trade-show business in addition to gaming revenue streams.

The company’s portfolio has included prominent properties in North America and Asia, most notably The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, along with a significant presence in Macau through multiple integrated resorts.