Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report report published on Saturday morning.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Zacks Research cut Las Vegas Sands from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Macquarie increased their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Las Vegas Sands currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.05.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Down 2.8%

NYSE:LVS opened at $58.93 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.42. The company has a fifty day moving average of $65.07 and a 200 day moving average of $57.61. Las Vegas Sands has a 52 week low of $30.18 and a 52 week high of $70.45.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $3.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 last year, the firm earned $0.44 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 4th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 4th. Las Vegas Sands’s payout ratio is presently 45.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Las Vegas Sands

In other news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 1,198,650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.68, for a total transaction of $79,925,982.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Patrick Dumont sold 210,305 shares of Las Vegas Sands stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.96, for a total value of $14,712,937.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 446,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,244,695.68. The trade was a 32.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 5,182,053 shares of company stock valued at $333,348,399 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Total Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 48.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 512 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Las Vegas Sands during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 549.5% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 630 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 533 shares during 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 (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.