Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.20

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, April 17th, Zacks reports. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 7th will be given a dividend of 0.20 per share by the casino operator on Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 6th.

Las Vegas Sands has decreased its dividend payment by an average of 20.3% annually over the last three years. Las Vegas Sands has a dividend payout ratio of 25.9% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Las Vegas Sands to earn $3.13 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.80 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 25.6%.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

Shares of LVS stock opened at $45.88 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $34.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.16, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 1.30. Las Vegas Sands has a fifty-two week low of $43.77 and a fifty-two week high of $65.58. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $52.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $49.60.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 17th. The casino operator reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $2.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 41.81% and a net margin of 13.99%. The firm’s revenue was up 34.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.28 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LVS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup upped their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $59.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $64.47.

Insider Activity at Las Vegas Sands

In other Las Vegas Sands news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 100,000 shares of Las Vegas Sands stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.06, for a total transaction of $5,206,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 172,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,996,020.06. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.91% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Retirement Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 1,951.2% during the third quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 841 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Dark Forest Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 83,900.0% in the 1st quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP now owns 840 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 839 shares in the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.