Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on LVS. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $58.00 to $53.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup increased their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $55.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $59.00 to $55.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Finally, Macquarie dropped their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $58.00 to $56.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $58.00.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

NYSE LVS opened at $39.18 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $43.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $47.90. Las Vegas Sands has a 1 year low of $38.92 and a 1 year high of $60.47. The company has a market cap of $29.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.93, a PEG ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.12.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The casino operator reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $2.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.82 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 43.61% and a net margin of 14.08%. Las Vegas Sands’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 6th will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 6th. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.65%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LVS. Bank & Trust Co purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 150.4% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 681 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. 39.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.