Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Raised to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Several other analysts also recently commented on the company. Argus increased their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Macquarie upped their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $66.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $56.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.05.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Down 2.8%

Las Vegas Sands stock opened at $58.93 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.97. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $65.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $57.53. Las Vegas Sands has a 1-year low of $30.18 and a 1-year high of $70.45. 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 posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $3.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.44 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Las Vegas Sands news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 1,198,650 shares of Las Vegas Sands stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.68, for a total value of $79,925,982.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Patrick Dumont sold 135,603 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.96, for a total transaction of $9,215,579.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 446,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,351,479.68. The trade was a 23.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 5,182,053 shares of company stock worth $333,348,399. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Grove Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 48.0% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 512 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Total Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings 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 valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares during the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Las Vegas Sands Company Profile

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) is a global developer and operator of integrated resorts, focused on large-scale properties that combine casino gaming with hotels, convention and exhibition facilities, retail, dining, and entertainment. The company’s operations center on developing and managing full-service resort complexes that serve both leisure and business travelers, with emphasis on convention and trade-show business in addition to gaming revenue streams.

The company’s portfolio has included prominent properties in North America and Asia, most notably The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, along with a significant presence in Macau through multiple integrated resorts.