Traders Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS)

Key Points

• Las Vegas Sands experienced a significant increase in options trading, with investors purchasing 22,700 call options, up 53% from the typical volume.
• Institutional investors have made substantial investments in Las Vegas Sands, owning approximately 39.16% of the company's stock, with several new stakes acquired during the recent quarters.
• Analysts have raised their price targets for Las Vegas Sands, with the consensus target price now at $59.80, reflecting a generally positive outlook for the stock.

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Investors purchased 22,700 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 53% compared to the typical volume of 14,872 call options.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LVS. Total Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 37.5% during the 2nd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 876 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 239 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 2nd quarter valued at $41,000. Center for Financial Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 1st quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 2nd quarter valued at $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 39.16% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Mizuho raised their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Barclays raised their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $52.50 to $58.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Las Vegas Sands from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 7th. Finally, Macquarie raised their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $52.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $59.80.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

NYSE:LVS traded up $0.15 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $54.92. 1,987,808 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,539,427. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53. The company has a market capitalization of $37.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.01. Las Vegas Sands has a one year low of $30.18 and a one year high of $58.05. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $53.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $45.31.

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

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 13th. Shareholders 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 dividend yield of 1.8%. Las Vegas Sands's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.51%.

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.

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