Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Stock Rating Lowered by Argus

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) was downgraded by investment analysts at Argus from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Bank of America decreased their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $70.00 to $60.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Susquehanna reduced their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Zacks Research downgraded Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $65.00 to $53.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.88.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of LVS opened at $49.02 on Thursday. Las Vegas Sands has a 1-year low of $44.21 and a 1-year high of $70.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.27. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $48.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $52.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.07, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.83.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by ($0.17). Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 133.90% and a net margin of 12.59%.The company had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.31 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.66 earnings per share. Las Vegas Sands’s quarterly revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands will post 3.12 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LVS. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 53,945 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $2,902,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,449 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $132,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. &PARTNERS increased its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. &PARTNERS now owns 6,930 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $453,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 5.5% in the third quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,945 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $266,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 6,859 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $446,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Las Vegas Sands

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) is a global developer and operator of integrated resorts, focused on large-scale properties that combine casino gaming with hotels, convention and exhibition facilities, retail, dining, and entertainment. The company’s operations center on developing and managing full-service resort complexes that serve both leisure and business travelers, with emphasis on convention and trade-show business in addition to gaming revenue streams.

The company’s portfolio has included prominent properties in North America and Asia, most notably The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, along with a significant presence in Macau through multiple integrated resorts.