Traders Purchase Large Volume of Las Vegas Sands Call Options (NYSE:LVS)

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) saw unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders acquired 90,060 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 322% compared to the typical daily volume of 21,359 call options.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of LVS stock traded up $0.17 on Tuesday, reaching $39.72. 2,237,255 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,355,827. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96. The stock has a market cap of $29.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.12. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $43.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $47.83. Las Vegas Sands has a 1-year low of $38.83 and a 1-year high of $60.47.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The casino operator reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $2.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.82 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 43.61% and a net margin of 14.08%. The business’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.46 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.49 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 6th will be given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 6th. Las Vegas Sands’s payout ratio is currently 38.65%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Susquehanna cut their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $59.00 to $51.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $65.00 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 25th. StockNews.com cut shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $58.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Macquarie decreased their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $58.00 to $56.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $58.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 629,182 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $30,962,000 after purchasing an additional 19,200 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 37,107,775 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $1,918,472,000 after acquiring an additional 209,589 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 27.6% in the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 891,796 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $46,124,000 after acquiring an additional 193,110 shares in the last quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP grew its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 6.4% during the 1st quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 3,308,987 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $171,075,000 after purchasing an additional 198,413 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AM Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the fourth quarter valued at about $3,076,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

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.