Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.13 EPS

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) posted its earnings results on Wednesday. The casino operator reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.13, Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $2.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 41.81% and a net margin of 13.99%. Las Vegas Sands’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.28 earnings per share.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LVS traded up $0.28 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $46.16. The stock had a trading volume of 2,358,778 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,578,870. The firm has a market cap of $34.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.16, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96. Las Vegas Sands has a fifty-two week low of $43.77 and a fifty-two week high of $65.58. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $52.22 and a 200-day moving average of $49.60.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 7th will be given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 6th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.73%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.65%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on LVS. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $70.00 to $65.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $60.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $59.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $70.00 to $65.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $64.47.

Insider Activity at Las Vegas Sands

In other Las Vegas Sands news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.06, for a total transaction of $5,206,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 172,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,996,020.06. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Las Vegas Sands

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MML Investors Services LLC lifted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 9,767 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $561,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 4,964 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $287,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 32,842 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $1,579,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 16.4% in the 4th quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,560 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 9,210 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $454,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. 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.