Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Price Target Raised to $48.00 at UBS Group

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) had its target price increased by research analysts at UBS Group from $43.00 to $48.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "neutral" rating on the casino operator's stock. UBS Group's price target suggests a potential downside of 4.98% from the company's current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho set a $47.00 price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $47.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $57.00 price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $58.00 to $53.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $55.15.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

Shares of LVS traded up $0.91 on Tuesday, reaching $50.52. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,145,540 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,862,430. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.58, a current ratio of 0.59 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.06, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.03. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $42.21 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $42.26. Las Vegas Sands has a 12-month low of $30.18 and a 12-month high of $56.61.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The casino operator reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.60 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $2.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.95 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 44.91%. Las Vegas Sands's revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.78 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, April 23rd that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the casino operator to purchase up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Optiver Holding B.V. purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 37.5% in the second quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 876 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares in the last quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the first quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 63.0% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 885 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is currently 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.