Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Hsbc Global Res

Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on LVS. Barclays dropped their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $58.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. 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 Wednesday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $57.00 price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Mizuho set a $47.00 price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Thursday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $56.75.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of LVS opened at $35.87 on Thursday. Las Vegas Sands has a fifty-two week low of $30.18 and a fifty-two week high of $56.61. The business has a 50-day moving average of $39.27 and a 200 day moving average of $45.90. The firm has a market cap of $25.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.74.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The casino operator reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.60 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $2.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.95 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 45.82% and a net margin of 12.80%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.78 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.6 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 6th. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 55.56%.

Las Vegas Sands declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 23rd that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the casino operator to repurchase up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 73.5% during 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 during the last quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. bought a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. 39.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.