Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have assigned a hold recommendation and ten have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $59.8438.

A number of research firms recently commented on LVS. Zacks Research downgraded Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. UBS Group set a $52.00 price target on Las Vegas Sands in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $62.00 price objective (down from $73.00) on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $52.00 to $47.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $73.00 to $71.50 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 58.4% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 8,186,257 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $532,843,000 after buying an additional 3,018,704 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 18.7% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 7,893,031 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $513,757,000 after acquiring an additional 1,246,206 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter worth about $364,892,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 36.9% in the second quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 4,617,148 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $213,266,000 after acquiring an additional 1,244,943 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 2.5% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,780,266 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $203,616,000 after acquiring an additional 90,690 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of LVS stock opened at $39.93 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $25.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.54, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.83. Las Vegas Sands has a 52 week low of $39.73 and a 52 week high of $70.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.27. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $45.26 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $49.55.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.17). The company had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.31 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.59% and a return on equity of 133.90%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.66 EPS. Analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands will post 3.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 4th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 4th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.69%.

About Las Vegas Sands

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) develops and operates integrated resorts that combine casino gaming with hotels, convention and meeting facilities, dining, retail, entertainment and other leisure offerings. The company primarily serves international tourism, business travel and premium gaming markets.

Las Vegas Sands’ principal properties are Marina Bay Sands in Singapore and a portfolio of integrated resorts in Macao, including The Venetian Macao, The Londoner Macao, The Parisian Macao and Four Seasons Hotel Macao.