Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three investment 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 analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $59.42.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company cut 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Barclays cut their target price 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, Morgan Stanley cut their target price 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.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LVS opened at $42.78 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $44.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $47.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market cap of $30.63 billion, a PE ratio of 21.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.07. Las Vegas Sands has a 1 year low of $36.62 and a 1 year high of $56.61.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The casino operator reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by ($0.04). Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 45.82% and a net margin of 12.80%. Equities analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This is a boost from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.34%. Las Vegas Sands’s payout ratio is currently 50.76%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 73.5% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 583 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 247 shares during the period. Optiver Holding B.V. purchased a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. 39.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.