Investors Buy Large Volume of Las Vegas Sands Call Options (NYSE:LVS)

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Stock traders acquired 82,466 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 376% compared to the average daily volume of 17,328 call options.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE LVS traded up $0.34 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $32.06. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,115,165 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,084,359. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $41.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $47.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Las Vegas Sands has a 52 week low of $30.18 and a 52 week high of $56.61. The stock has a market cap of $22.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.99.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The casino operator reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by ($0.04). Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 45.82% and a net margin of 12.80%. Equities analysts forecast that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.25 dividend. This is a boost from Las Vegas Sands's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.12%. Las Vegas Sands's dividend payout ratio is presently 50.76%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup upped their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $64.50 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $58.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $59.42.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LVS. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 32.2% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 32,948 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $1,707,000 after purchasing an additional 8,032 shares during the last quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP increased its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 32.0% during the fourth quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 6,501,382 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $333,911,000 after buying an additional 1,577,042 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 13,810,351 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $709,300,000 after buying an additional 160,711 shares during the last quarter. Polymer Capital Management HK LTD acquired a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter valued at $2,311,000. Finally, World Equity Group Inc. boosted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 82.9% during the fourth quarter. World Equity Group Inc. now owns 25,602 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $1,315,000 after acquiring an additional 11,602 shares during the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Las Vegas Sands Company Profile

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.