Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS)

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock traders acquired 22,621 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 32% compared to the typical daily volume of 17,077 call options.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

Shares of LVS stock opened at $41.98 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $40.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $44.63. The firm has a market cap of $31.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.28, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.11. Las Vegas Sands has a 1 year low of $36.62 and a 1 year high of $55.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.29, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.58.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The casino operator reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $2.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.82 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 14.08% and a return on equity of 44.41%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.46 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 6th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 6th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.91%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.65%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank & Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 93.2% in the 2nd quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 906 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 437 shares in the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 1st quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 54.8% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,008 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 357 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Las Vegas Sands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $65.00 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $55.00 to $50.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $58.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $55.25.

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.