Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Price Target Raised to $67.00 at Citigroup

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) had its target price upped by Citigroup from $64.50 to $67.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the casino operator’s stock.

LVS has been the subject of several other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $51.00 target price (down from $54.00) on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Susquehanna boosted their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $51.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group raised their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Macquarie upped their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $58.00 in a report on Wednesday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Las Vegas Sands has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.58.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Up 11.1 %

NYSE:LVS opened at $48.26 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $49.94 and a 200-day moving average of $46.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.99 billion, a PE ratio of 23.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.09. Las Vegas Sands has a 52 week low of $36.62 and a 52 week high of $56.60.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The casino operator reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by ($0.04). Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 13.29% and a return on equity of 44.26%. Analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.36 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $0.25 dividend. This is a positive change from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.07%. Las Vegas Sands’s payout ratio is 40.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Las Vegas Sands

In other Las Vegas Sands news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 60,187 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.02, for a total transaction of $3,191,114.74. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 24,324 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.00, for a total transaction of $1,264,848.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,129,724. The trade was a 28.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.91% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Las Vegas Sands

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LVS. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the third quarter valued at $26,000. CVA Family Office LLC boosted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 118.8% during the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 560 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 304 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 73.5% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 583 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. 39.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.