Short Interest in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) Expands By 27.6%

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 26,840,000 shares, an increase of 27.6% from the November 15th total of 21,040,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 6,060,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.4 days. Currently, 7.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of LVS stock traded up $0.07 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $53.87. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,378,846 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,686,731. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $51.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $45.62. Las Vegas Sands has a one year low of $36.62 and a one year high of $56.60.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The casino operator reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.09). Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 13.29% and a return on equity of 44.26%. The company had revenue of $2.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.79 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.55 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.33 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 5th were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 5th. Las Vegas Sands’s payout ratio is currently 39.60%.

Insider Activity

In other Las Vegas Sands news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 60,187 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.02, for a total transaction of $3,191,114.74. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 24,324 shares of Las Vegas Sands stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.00, for a total value of $1,264,848.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,129,724. This trade represents a 28.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 203,732 shares of company stock worth $10,861,707. 0.91% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Las Vegas Sands

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LVS. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. CVA Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 118.8% during the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 560 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the third quarter worth $34,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. raised its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 93.2% in the second quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 906 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 437 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 40.1% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 849 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the period. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on LVS shares. Susquehanna upped their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $51.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $55.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $53.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $52.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Las Vegas Sands currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $58.42.

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.