Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Sets New 12-Month Low – Here’s Why

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $30.18 and last traded at $30.51, with a volume of 11540269 shares. The stock had previously closed at $32.10.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on LVS. Macquarie increased their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Barclays dropped their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $51.00 to $49.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.42.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Down 5.8 %

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $41.34 and a 200 day moving average of $47.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market cap of $22.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.12, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.99.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The casino operator reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.58 by ($0.04). Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 45.82%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.15%. This is a positive change from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Las Vegas Sands’s payout ratio is presently 50.76%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 26.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 58,824,289 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $3,021,205,000 after acquiring an additional 12,304,533 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 55.7% in the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 14,218,581 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $730,295,000 after purchasing an additional 5,088,095 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $216,571,000. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 29.8% during the fourth quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 9,382,267 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $481,873,000 after purchasing an additional 2,152,829 shares during the period. Finally, ARGA Investment Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 32.0% in the fourth quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 6,501,382 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $333,911,000 after purchasing an additional 1,577,042 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

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.