Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Sets New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as low as $38.06 and last traded at $38.0790, with a volume of 2763545 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $38.32.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on LVS shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $52.00 to $47.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $68.00 to $61.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Seaport Research Partners dropped their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $69.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. HSBC decreased their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $78.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, HC Wainwright cut Las Vegas Sands to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Las Vegas Sands has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $59.84.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $24.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.79, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.83. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $44.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $48.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.27, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.17). Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.59% and a return on equity of 133.90%. The business had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.66 EPS. Las Vegas Sands’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 3.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 4th were issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 4th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.69%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 73.4% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 886 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 94.2% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 765 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 174.6% during the 2nd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,634 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 1,039 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 101.3% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,556 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 783 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt purchased a new stake in Las Vegas Sands during the 2nd quarter valued at $86,000. 39.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Las Vegas Sands Company Profile

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) is a global developer and operator of integrated resorts that combine casino gaming with hotels, convention and exhibition facilities, retail, dining and entertainment venues. The company’s properties are designed to serve leisure travelers, business visitors and convention groups.

Las Vegas Sands operates major integrated resorts in Macau, including The Venetian Macao, The Parisian Macao, The Londoner Macao and Four Seasons Hotel Macao. In Singapore, it operates Marina Bay Sands, a large resort featuring hotel accommodations, gaming, shopping, dining, entertainment and convention facilities.