Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $55.25.

LVS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays lowered their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $52.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $58.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $55.00 to $50.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. StockNews.com cut shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Argus lowered shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

NYSE LVS opened at $42.10 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.29, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.58. The company has a market capitalization of $31.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.34, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.11. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $40.04 and a 200 day moving average of $44.69. Las Vegas Sands has a one year low of $36.62 and a one year high of $55.65.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The casino operator reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.01). Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 14.08% and a return on equity of 44.41%. The company had revenue of $2.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.46 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.46 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 6th were issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 6th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.90%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.65%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank & Trust Co purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the first quarter valued at $43,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. increased its position in Las Vegas Sands by 93.2% in the second quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 906 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 437 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Western Pacific Wealth Management LP increased its position in Las Vegas Sands by 53.5% in the first quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP now owns 970 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 338 shares during the last quarter. 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.