Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) Short Interest Update

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 12,560,083 shares, a growth of 22.0% from the December 15th total of 10,294,335 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 4,097,254 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.1 days. Approximately 1.9% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Approximately 1.9% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 4,097,254 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.1 days.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

LVS traded down $1.68 during trading on Monday, reaching $58.93. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 8,025,651 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,713,117. The company has a market cap of $39.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.67, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.97. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $65.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $57.61. Las Vegas Sands has a 1 year low of $30.18 and a 1 year high of $70.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.42.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.16. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 73.14% and a net margin of 12.69%.The business had revenue of $3.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.44 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.6 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 4th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 4th. Las Vegas Sands’s payout ratio is currently 45.25%.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Patrick Dumont sold 210,305 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.96, for a total value of $14,712,937.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 446,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,244,695.68. This represents a 32.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 1,198,650 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.68, for a total value of $79,925,982.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 5,182,053 shares of company stock valued at $333,348,399. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LVS. Total Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 48.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 512 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 549.5% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 630 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 533 shares during the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on LVS. Macquarie upped their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Zacks Research lowered shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Susquehanna raised their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.05.

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.