Morgan Stanley Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Stock Price

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) had its target price lowered by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $51.00 to $49.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “equal weight” rating on the casino operator’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target points to a potential upside of 10.38% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on the company. Macquarie increased their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $64.50 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Las Vegas Sands has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.42.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

LVS opened at $44.39 on Monday. Las Vegas Sands has a twelve month low of $36.62 and a twelve month high of $56.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35. The firm has a market cap of $31.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.51, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $46.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $47.18.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The casino operator reported $0.54 earnings per share (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 research analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 60,187 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.02, for a total transaction of $3,191,114.74. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.91% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 3.6% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,050 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $305,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. boosted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 5,062 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $255,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 6,505 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $334,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 45.6% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 760 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 73.5% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 583 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the period. 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.