Las Vegas Sands Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:LVS)

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Investors bought 103,334 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 334% compared to the average volume of 23,794 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $60.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup upped their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. StockNews.com raised shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Las Vegas Sands has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $64.47.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Down 0.1 %

LVS traded down $0.05 during trading on Friday, reaching $45.83. 3,798,028 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,597,581. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $52.22 and its 200 day moving average is $49.60. Las Vegas Sands has a 12 month low of $43.77 and a 12 month high of $65.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.43 billion, a PE ratio of 22.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.16.

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

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 6th. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.65%.

Insider Activity at Las Vegas Sands

In other news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 100,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 172,801 shares in the company, valued at $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 company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. MML Investors Services LLC raised its position in Las Vegas Sands by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 9,767 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $561,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Horizon Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 4.3% in the second quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 4,964 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $287,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 32,842 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $1,579,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 16.4% during the fourth quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,560 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Waldron Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC now owns 12,361 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $608,000 after purchasing an additional 232 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.