Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.13 EPS

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The casino operator reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.13, Briefing.com reports. The company had revenue of $2.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 13.99% and a return on equity of 41.81%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.28 EPS.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Down 8.7 %

Shares of NYSE LVS opened at $45.88 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $52.22 and its 200-day moving average is $49.60. Las Vegas Sands has a 1 year low of $43.77 and a 1 year high of $65.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.47 billion, a PE ratio of 22.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 6th were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 5th. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.65%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on LVS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $59.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $70.00 to $65.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $64.47.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 100,000 shares of Las Vegas Sands stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.06, for a total transaction of $5,206,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 172,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,996,020.06. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.91% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vestor Capital LLC boosted its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 175.2% during the 2nd quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 2,356 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $137,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares during the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment bought a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter worth approximately $113,000. State of Wyoming bought a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $112,000. LM Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $111,000. Finally, Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 16.4% in the fourth quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,560 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

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.