Stifel Nicolaus Cuts Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Price Target to $72.00

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) had its target price decreased by Stifel Nicolaus from $75.00 to $72.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a buy rating on the casino operator’s stock.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on LVS. Wall Street Zen upgraded Las Vegas Sands from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Seaport Research Partners lowered their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $75.00 to $72.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Barclays set a $64.00 price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Las Vegas Sands presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $68.61.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Up 0.1%

LVS stock opened at $52.75 on Thursday. Las Vegas Sands has a one year low of $30.18 and a one year high of $70.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.54, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $63.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $58.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.42, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.89.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The casino operator reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $3.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.33 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 87.01% and a net margin of 12.50%.The business’s revenue was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.54 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.6 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 9th. This is an increase from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.74%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 1,198,650 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.68, for a total value of $79,925,982.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP D. Zachary Hudson sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total value of $6,499,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 13,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $892,637.65. This represents a 87.92% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,582,053 shares of company stock worth $238,846,399. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 410.2% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 5,167,553 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $277,963,000 after acquiring an additional 4,154,753 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the second quarter valued at approximately $134,179,000. M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 33,102.6% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 3,060,288 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $197,463,000 after purchasing an additional 3,051,071 shares in the last quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 36.8% in the second quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 10,040,975 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $436,883,000 after purchasing an additional 2,698,398 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,072,014 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $1,874,063,000 after purchasing an additional 1,822,806 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Key Las Vegas Sands News

Here are the key news stories impacting Las Vegas Sands this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat on revenue and EPS, driven by record Marina Bay Sands EBITDA — this supports the company’s top-line momentum and underpins analyst upside revisions. Reuters: Quarterly profit rises
• Positive Sentiment: Management declared a 20% higher quarterly dividend ($0.30), raising the yield (~2.3%) and returning cash to shareholders — a tangible near-term support for the stock. Dividend announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Several brokers raised price targets or reiterated bullish ratings after the quarter (Deutsche Bank to $77, HSBC to $73, Macquarie reaffirmed Outperform), signaling analyst conviction in recovery potential. Benzinga: analyst reactions
• Neutral Sentiment: Goldman reduced its target from $80 to $73 but kept a Buy rating; Stifel trimmed its target to $72 while maintaining Buy — these are adjustments to reflect Q4 details but still leave sizable upside in consensus targets. MarketScreener: Goldman adjustment
• Negative Sentiment: Macao EBITDA margins fell meaningfully (reported ~390 bps decline), and management signaled margin recovery is a focus — the margin miss triggered a large sell-off and renewed concern about competitive pressure and market concentration in Macau. Forbes: Macao margin miss
• Negative Sentiment: Press pieces highlight a “Macau problem” and concentration risk — combined coverage (Barron’s, WSJ, Motley Fool) amplified investor selling despite the quarter’s headline beat. Barron’s: Macau problem

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.