Zacks Research Downgrades Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) to Hold

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) was downgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on LVS. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $56.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $59.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $67.52.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Down 1.2%

Las Vegas Sands stock opened at $66.13 on Monday. Las Vegas Sands has a 1 year low of $30.18 and a 1 year high of $70.45. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $62.92 and its 200-day moving average is $54.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.42, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.89. The company has a market cap of $44.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.92, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.97.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $3.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 73.14%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.44 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Las Vegas Sands

In related news, COO Patrick Dumont sold 210,305 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.96, for a total transaction of $14,712,937.80. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 446,608 shares in the company, valued at $31,244,695.68. This trade represents a 32.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 1,198,650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.68, for a total value of $79,925,982.00. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 5,182,053 shares of company stock valued at $333,348,399 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Total Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 48.0% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 512 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 549.5% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 630 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc grew its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 182.4% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 672 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 434 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Las Vegas Sands Company Profile

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.