Short Interest in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) Decreases By 15.3%

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 19,240,000 shares, a decline of 15.3% from the February 13th total of 22,720,000 shares. Approximately 5.1% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 5,100,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.8 days.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Down 2.1 %

Las Vegas Sands stock traded down $0.91 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $41.98. The company had a trading volume of 7,760,336 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,581,806. 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 has a 1 year low of $36.62 and a 1 year high of $56.60. The business has a fifty day moving average of $44.14 and a 200 day moving average of $47.66. The stock has a market cap of $30.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.31, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.07.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 45.82% and a net margin of 12.80%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This is a positive change from Las Vegas Sands's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.38%. Las Vegas Sands's payout ratio is 50.76%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of LVS. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Las Vegas Sands during the third quarter worth $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 73.5% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 583 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. 39.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Las Vegas Sands from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $60.00 to $69.00 in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $51.00 to $49.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Macquarie upped their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $64.50 to $67.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $59.42.

Las Vegas Sands Company Profile

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.