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

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

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on LVS. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $51.00 price target (down previously from $54.00) on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Mizuho increased their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $52.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $51.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.58.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Up 11.1 %

Shares of Las Vegas Sands stock opened at $48.26 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $46.70. Las Vegas Sands has a 52-week low of $36.62 and a 52-week high of $56.60. The firm has a market cap of $34.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.89.

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

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Las Vegas Sands

In other news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 60,187 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 29th. The shares were 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 24,324 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.00, for a total transaction of $1,264,848.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,129,724. The trade was a 28.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.91% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. CVA Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 118.8% during the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 560 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 304 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 73.5% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 583 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 849 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.