Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the thirteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $59.58.

LVS has been the subject of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Las Vegas Sands from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $60.00 to $69.00 in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $64.50 to $67.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $58.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

NYSE LVS traded up $0.94 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $44.98. 4,186,405 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,990,206. Las Vegas Sands has a 1 year low of $36.62 and a 1 year high of $56.60. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $47.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $47.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The casino operator reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.58 by ($0.04). Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 45.82%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.22%. This is a boost from Las Vegas Sands's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Las Vegas Sands's payout ratio is presently 50.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Las Vegas Sands

In other Las Vegas Sands news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 60,187 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.02, for a total transaction of $3,191,114.74. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.91% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 97.2% in the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 89,743 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $4,518,000 after buying an additional 44,223 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 32.2% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 32,948 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $1,707,000 after acquiring an additional 8,032 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 5,627,422 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $283,284,000 after purchasing an additional 77,807 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 33.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 548,072 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $27,590,000 after purchasing an additional 136,859 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ARGA Investment Management LP raised its position in Las Vegas Sands by 32.0% in the 4th quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 6,501,382 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $333,911,000 after purchasing an additional 1,577,042 shares during the period. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.