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

Key Points

• Las Vegas Sands received a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from 18 analysts, with 11 Buy ratings and 7 Hold ratings. The average 12-month price target is about $68.28.
• The company reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $0.91 versus estimates of $0.76 and revenue of $3.59 billion, topping expectations. Revenue also rose 25.3% year over year.
• Las Vegas Sands declared a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, or $1.20 annually, for a 2.3% yield. CEO Patrick Dumont also sold 60,165 shares in March, while institutional investors continue to hold a significant stake in the company.

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eighteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $68.2813.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on LVS shares. HSBC raised their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Macquarie Infrastructure reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Seaport Research Partners cut their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $72.00 to $69.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Argus reduced their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $80.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

Shares of LVS opened at $51.72 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $54.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.29. Las Vegas Sands has a one year low of $39.29 and a one year high of $70.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.64, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market cap of $34.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.85.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.15. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 118.27% and a net margin of 13.41%.The business had revenue of $3.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.32 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.59 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 25.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 5th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 5th. Las Vegas Sands's payout ratio is 44.44%.

Insider Activity at Las Vegas Sands

In other news, CEO Patrick Dumont sold 60,165 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.75, for a total value of $3,294,033.75. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 511,942 shares in the company, valued at $28,028,824.50. This represents a 10.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 358.4% in the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 227,278 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $12,225,000 after purchasing an additional 177,695 shares during the period. Donoghue Forlines LLC acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,143,000. Perpetual Ltd acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,051,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 40.6% in the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 67,446 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $4,390,000 after buying an additional 19,488 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 2,655.3% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 878,022 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $57,150,000 after buying an additional 846,155 shares in the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Las Vegas Sands

Las Vegas Sands NYSE: LVS is a global developer and operator of integrated resorts, focused on large-scale properties that combine casino gaming with hotels, convention and exhibition facilities, retail, dining, and entertainment. The company's operations center on developing and managing full-service resort complexes that serve both leisure and business travelers, with emphasis on convention and trade-show business in addition to gaming revenue streams.

The company's portfolio has included prominent properties in North America and Asia, most notably The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, along with a significant presence in Macau through multiple integrated resorts.

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