Morgan Stanley Boosts Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Price Target to $55.00

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) had its price target hoisted by Morgan Stanley from $50.00 to $55.00 in a report issued on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the casino operator’s stock.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $51.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $53.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. UBS Group lowered shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $70.00 to $49.00 in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Las Vegas Sands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $57.92.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

Shares of LVS opened at $52.47 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.09 billion, a PE ratio of 25.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.29. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $44.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $44.40. Las Vegas Sands has a 52-week low of $36.62 and a 52-week high of $55.65.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The casino operator reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $2.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.79 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 14.08% and a return on equity of 44.41%. The company’s revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.55 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 5th. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.65%.

Institutional Trading of Las Vegas Sands

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LVS. CVA Family Office LLC raised its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 118.8% during the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 560 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co bought a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. lifted its stake 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 valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 437 shares during the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the first quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 849 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is currently 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.