Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is mixed: Las Vegas Sands has a consensus “Hold” rating from 20 analysts, with 10 buys, 9 holds and 1 sell. The average 12-month price target is $59.84, well above the stock’s reported $42.41 price.
• Recent quarterly results missed expectations: The company reported earnings of $0.59 per share versus the $0.76 consensus estimate, while revenue of $3.15 billion also fell short of the $3.31 billion forecast.
• Institutional ownership and dividends remain notable: Institutional investors own 39.16% of the company, while Las Vegas Sands maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, equivalent to a 2.8% yield.

Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the twenty analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $59.8438.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $73.00 to $71.50 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. UBS Group set a $52.00 price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Argus cut shares of Las Vegas Sands from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $67.00 to $61.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Las Vegas Sands from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 74.2% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,529,236 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $82,395,000 after purchasing an additional 651,214 shares during the last quarter. Fieldview Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter valued at $4,561,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the 2nd quarter valued at $107,407,000. CenterBook Partners LP bought a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter worth $4,588,000. Finally, Westpac Banking Corp increased its position in Las Vegas Sands by 6,889.2% during the 4th quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 51,021 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $3,321,000 after buying an additional 50,291 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 39.16% of the company's stock.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Down 1.0%

NYSE LVS opened at $42.41 on Tuesday. Las Vegas Sands has a one year low of $42.11 and a one year high of $70.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.27, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market cap of $27.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.83. The stock's 50-day moving average is $45.70 and its 200-day moving average is $49.93.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.17). The business had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.31 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.59% and a return on equity of 133.90%. Las Vegas Sands's revenue for the quarter was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.66 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands will post 3.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 4th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 4th. Las Vegas Sands's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.

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