Short Interest in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) Grows By 22.0%

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 12,560,083 shares, a growth of 22.0% from the December 15th total of 10,294,335 shares. Approximately 1.9% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,097,254 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,097,254 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days. Approximately 1.9% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

Shares of LVS traded down $0.79 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $58.17. The stock had a trading volume of 2,358,548 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,245,205. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.33 billion, a PE ratio of 26.31, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.42, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.88. Las Vegas Sands has a 12 month low of $30.18 and a 12 month high of $70.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $65.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $57.61.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.16. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 73.14% and a net margin of 12.69%.The business had revenue of $3.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.44 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.6 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 4th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 4th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Las Vegas Sands’s payout ratio is presently 45.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on LVS shares. Zacks Research cut shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Macquarie boosted their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $75.50 to $76.75 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.05.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Las Vegas Sands news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 1,198,650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.68, for a total value of $79,925,982.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Miriam Adelson sold 77,991 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.56, for a total value of $5,269,071.96. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 23,333,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,576,407,273.96. The trade was a 0.33% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 5,182,053 shares of company stock valued at $333,348,399 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 410.2% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 5,167,553 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $277,963,000 after purchasing an additional 4,154,753 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 2nd quarter worth about $134,179,000. ARGA Investment Management LP raised its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 36.8% during the 2nd quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 10,040,975 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $436,883,000 after buying an additional 2,698,398 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,072,014 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $1,874,063,000 after acquiring an additional 1,822,806 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 43.8% in the third quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 5,454,013 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $293,371,000 after acquiring an additional 1,660,823 shares in the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.