Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Shares Gap Up Following Dividend Announcement

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) shares gapped up prior to trading on Thursday following a dividend announcement from the company. The stock had previously closed at $43.43, but opened at $47.50. Las Vegas Sands shares last traded at $47.56, with a volume of 2,077,564 shares traded.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid 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 is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.07%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $51.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $52.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $60.00 to $69.00 in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $55.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.58.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $49.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $46.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.09.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The casino operator reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.58 by ($0.04). Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 13.29% and a return on equity of 44.26%. On average, research analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.36 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Las Vegas Sands

In other Las Vegas Sands news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 24,324 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.00, for a total value of $1,264,848.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,187 shares in the company, valued at $3,129,724. This trade represents a 28.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 60,187 shares of Las Vegas Sands stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.02, for a total value of $3,191,114.74. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Las Vegas Sands

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the third quarter worth about $26,000. CVA Family Office LLC increased its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 118.8% in the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 560 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 73.5% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 583 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Las Vegas Sands during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Institutional investors own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

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.