Analysts Set Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) Target Price at $63.46

Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $63.46.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on LVS shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $60.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $70.00 to $65.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $59.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 18th.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LVS opened at $45.55 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The company has a market cap of $33.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.16. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $51.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $49.63. Las Vegas Sands has a 1-year low of $43.77 and a 1-year high of $65.58.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 17th. The casino operator reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.13. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 13.99% and a return on equity of 42.34%. The firm had revenue of $2.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.28 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 34.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 7th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 6th. Las Vegas Sands’s payout ratio is currently 38.65%.

Insider Transactions at Las Vegas Sands

In related news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.06, for a total transaction of $5,206,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 172,801 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,996,020.06. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter worth approximately $266,538,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 36,898,186 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $1,815,760,000 after purchasing an additional 4,264,043 shares during the last quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 214.5% during the fourth quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 3,110,574 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $153,071,000 after purchasing an additional 2,121,546 shares during the period. Charles Lim Capital Ltd grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 296.2% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Lim Capital Ltd now owns 2,575,000 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $118,038,000 after buying an additional 1,925,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ghisallo Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter valued at $73,815,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.