Insider Selling: Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) EVP Sells $3,747,695.09 in Stock

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) EVP D. Zachary Hudson sold 53,257 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.37, for a total value of $3,747,695.09. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $966,531.95. This trade represents a 79.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

D. Zachary Hudson also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, November 7th, D. Zachary Hudson sold 100,000 shares of Las Vegas Sands stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total transaction of $6,499,000.00.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

Shares of LVS opened at $66.27 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.98, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.97. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12 month low of $30.18 and a 12 month high of $70.45. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $59.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $52.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.42.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.16. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 73.14%. The firm had revenue of $3.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.44 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 4th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 4th. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.25%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 48.0% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 512 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Total Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 549.5% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 630 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 533 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 182.4% during the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 672 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 434 shares during the period. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on LVS shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $59.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $66.00 price target for the company. Seaport Global Securities lifted their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Argus raised their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $65.60.

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.