Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Given New $55.00 Price Target at UBS Group

Key Points

• UBS Group has raised the price target for Las Vegas Sands from $48.00 to $55.00, indicating a potential upside of 3.35% based on the company's previous close.
• Several other brokerages have also adjusted their price targets, with Barclays setting theirs at $58.00 and Bank of America at $58.00 as well, highlighting a generally positive outlook from analysts.
• Las Vegas Sands recently reported earnings of $0.79 per share, exceeding expectations of $0.53, with quarterly revenue reaching $3.18 billion, up 15% from the previous year.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) had its target price upped by investment analysts at UBS Group from $48.00 to $55.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "neutral" rating on the casino operator's stock. UBS Group's price target suggests a potential upside of 5.19% from the stock's current price.

LVS has been the subject of a number of other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a report on Monday, July 7th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $52.00 price objective for the company. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Las Vegas Sands to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $58.13.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

Shares of LVS traded down $0.11 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $52.29. 1,258,747 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,802,402. Las Vegas Sands has a 52 week low of $30.18 and a 52 week high of $56.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $45.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $42.26. The firm has a market cap of $35.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.03.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last announced its 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. The business had revenue of $3.18 billion during 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%. Las Vegas Sands's revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.55 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.6 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, April 23rd that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the casino operator to reacquire up to 8.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LVS. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Las Vegas Sands by 46.0% during the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 40,468 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $1,761,000 after acquiring an additional 12,758 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 1.5% during the second quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 18,189 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $791,000 after acquiring an additional 273 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the second quarter valued at about $206,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the 2nd quarter valued at about $299,000. Finally, PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co increased its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 17.9% during the second quarter. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co now owns 33,000 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $1,436,000 after acquiring an additional 5,000 shares during the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.