Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Given New $75.00 Price Target at Citigroup

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) had its price objective lifted by Citigroup from $74.00 to $75.00 in a research note released on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the casino operator’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on LVS. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $70.00 to $65.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $59.00 to $55.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $64.47.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

LVS stock opened at $45.88 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.47 billion, a PE ratio of 22.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s 50-day moving average is $52.22 and its 200-day moving average is $49.60. 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 1 year low of $43.77 and a 1 year high of $65.58.

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

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 6th were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 5th. Las Vegas Sands’s payout ratio is presently 38.65%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 100,000 shares of Las Vegas Sands stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.06, for a total value of $5,206,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 172,801 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,996,020.06. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.91% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 13.9% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 46,767 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $1,818,000 after buying an additional 5,716 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 17.1% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 13,612 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $529,000 after buying an additional 1,985 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 6.9% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 33,282 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $1,294,000 after buying an additional 2,145 shares during the period. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC increased its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 26.7% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 13,502 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $525,000 after buying an additional 2,848 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 47.6% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 27,000 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $1,050,000 after buying an additional 8,711 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.