Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) Sets New 52-Week Low – Here’s Why

Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $36.33 and last traded at $36.43, with a volume of 1192358 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $39.04.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $51.00 to $49.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $64.50 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Macquarie increased their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.42.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Down 8.3 %

The firm has a market cap of $23.90 billion, a PE ratio of 16.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.99. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $42.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $47.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The casino operator reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.58 by ($0.04). Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 45.82%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This is an increase from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.00%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.76%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 32.2% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 32,948 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $1,707,000 after buying an additional 8,032 shares during the last quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP raised its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 32.0% during the 4th quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 6,501,382 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $333,911,000 after acquiring an additional 1,577,042 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 13,810,351 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $709,300,000 after purchasing an additional 160,711 shares during the last quarter. World Equity Group Inc. increased its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 82.9% in the fourth quarter. World Equity Group Inc. now owns 25,602 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $1,315,000 after purchasing an additional 11,602 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 19.9% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 50,087 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $2,572,000 after purchasing an additional 8,326 shares in the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Las Vegas Sands

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.