Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Lowered to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $67.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Barclays increased their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $80.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $68.28.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

Shares of LVS opened at $49.38 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.64. The firm has a market cap of $32.72 billion, a PE ratio of 18.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.85. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $53.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $58.82. Las Vegas Sands has a 12-month low of $39.36 and a 12-month high of $70.45.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.15. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 118.27% and a net margin of 13.41%.The firm had revenue of $3.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.32 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.59 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Las Vegas Sands news, CEO Patrick Dumont sold 60,165 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.75, for a total value of $3,294,033.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 511,942 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,028,824.50. This trade represents a 10.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Grove Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 48.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 512 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

About Las Vegas Sands

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.