Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Reaches New 12-Month Low - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Las Vegas Sands reached a new 52-week low, trading near $43.03, below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages of $46.02 and $50.32, respectively.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but leans neutral: the stock has a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $61.88, despite several recent target-price cuts and one “strong sell” downgrade.
• The company missed quarterly expectations, reporting $0.59 in EPS versus $0.76 expected and $3.15 billion in revenue versus $3.31 billion projected. It continues to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.30, equivalent to a 2.8% annualized yield.

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $43.06 and last traded at $43.0250, with a volume of 1400164 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $43.98.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LVS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $65.00 to $53.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Susquehanna cut their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $74.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock 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 report on Thursday, July 23rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $61.88.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $27.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.65, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.27. The stock's 50-day moving average is $46.02 and its 200-day moving average is $50.32.

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

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 4th were issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 4th. Las Vegas Sands's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.69%.

Institutional Trading of Las Vegas Sands

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 27.1% in the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 9,430 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $436,000 after buying an additional 2,009 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 50.0% during the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 70,778 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $3,269,000 after buying an additional 23,597 shares during the period. National Pension Service grew its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 378,405 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $17,479,000 after acquiring an additional 18,593 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 85,620 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $3,955,000 after acquiring an additional 2,930 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC increased its position in Las Vegas Sands by 103.7% in the 2nd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 23,058 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $1,065,000 after acquiring an additional 11,739 shares during the period. 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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