Brokerages Set Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) Target Price at $68.55

Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $68.5469.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on LVS. Morgan Stanley set a $66.00 target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Macquarie Infrastructure reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a report on Thursday, January 29th. HSBC lifted their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $67.50 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $78.00 to $72.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Patrick Dumont sold 60,165 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $3,294,033.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 511,942 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,028,824.50. This trade represents a 10.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Grove Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA bought a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 48.0% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 512 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

NYSE:LVS opened at $51.60 on Tuesday. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $30.18 and a fifty-two week high of $70.45. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $55.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $58.77. The company has a market capitalization of $34.67 billion, a PE ratio of 22.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.88.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The casino operator reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $3.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.54 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th were paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. This is a boost from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. Las Vegas Sands’s payout ratio is presently 51.28%.

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.