Short Interest in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) Increases By 14.9%

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totalling 11,870,000 shares, an increase of 14.9% from the July 31st total of 10,330,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 6,450,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.8 days. Currently, 3.1% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Las Vegas Sands

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LVS. Bank & Trust Co bought a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. boosted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 93.2% during the second quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 906 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 437 shares during the period. Finally, Vestor Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

LVS stock traded up $0.35 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $38.99. 12,254,101 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,540,412. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.71 billion, a PE ratio of 18.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $40.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $45.94. Las Vegas Sands has a 52 week low of $36.62 and a 52 week high of $55.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.29, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.58.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The casino operator reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.01). Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 44.41% and a net margin of 14.08%. The firm had revenue of $2.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.46 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands will post 2.45 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 6th were paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 6th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.05%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.65%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on LVS shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $59.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 12th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $59.00 to $51.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $52.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Argus lowered shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Las Vegas Sands presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $55.67.

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.