Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Morgan Stanley Analyst Says

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley has raised the price target for Las Vegas Sands from $50.00 to $57.00, suggesting a potential upside of 4.75% from its current price.
• Analysts are generally optimistic about the stock, with a consensus price target of $59.47 and an average rating of "Moderate Buy".
• Las Vegas Sands reported strong quarterly earnings with $0.79 earnings per share, exceeding expectations and reflecting a 15% year-over-year revenue increase.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) had its target price boosted by Morgan Stanley from $50.00 to $57.00 in a research report report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the casino operator's stock.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on LVS. Barclays increased their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Argus raised Las Vegas Sands from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Las Vegas Sands from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, September 7th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $59.47.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Down 2.3%

Shares of NYSE:LVS traded down $1.22 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $51.87. 3,056,873 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,560,054. The business's 50-day moving average price is $52.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $44.58. Las Vegas Sands has a 12 month low of $30.18 and a 12 month high of $58.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.22.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The casino operator reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.26. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 55.37% and a net margin of 12.16%.The firm had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.83 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.55 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 5th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 5th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Las Vegas Sands's dividend payout ratio is presently 50.51%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its position in Las Vegas Sands by 23.0% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 145,257 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $6,298,000 after purchasing an additional 27,140 shares in the last quarter. Total Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the second quarter worth about $25,000. TT Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the 2nd quarter worth about $311,000. Cim Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 99.7% during the second quarter. Cim Investment Management Inc. now owns 26,452 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $1,255,000 after acquiring an additional 13,203 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC raised its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 48.2% during the second quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 23,429 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $1,019,000 after acquiring an additional 7,622 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.