Continue reading Las Vegas Sands Drops on Securities Investigation in Hong Kong

Las Vegas Sands Drops on Securities Investigation in Hong Kong originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Akamai (AKAM) to overweight from neutral at Piper Jaffray.
• Las Vegas Sands (LVS) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Aetna (AET) to Outperform from market perform at Leerink.
• Hot Topic (HOTT) to buy from neutral at Janney Capital.
• Colonial Properties (CLP) upgraded to Outperform from market perform at FBR Capital and to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Altera (ALTR) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• American Reprographics (ARC), CarMax (KMX) and American Campus (ACC) to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Zebra Tech (ZBRA) to neutral from underweight at JPMorgan.
• IMAX (IMAX) to buy from hold at Canaccord.
• Basic Energy (BAS) to neutral from sell at Goldman.
• Mednax (MD) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• UTi Worldwide (UTIW) to buy from hold at Stifel Nicolaus.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AET, AKAM, BBY, DVN, HOG, IMAX, LVS, RIMM, UNH, URBN ...

Analyst Calls: AET, AKAM, BBY, DVN, HOG, IMAX, LVS, RIMM, UNH, URBN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• BB&T (BBT) and Aflac (AFL) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Kodiak Oil & Gas (KOG) to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Zhongpin (HOGS) to neutral from reduce at Global Hunter.
• Marathon Oil (MRO), Noble Energy (NBL) and Manulife Financial (MFC) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Carrizo Oil & Gas (CRZO) to buy from hold at Canaccord.
• Comerica (CMA) to buy from neutral at Rochdale.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AAPL, AFL, BBT, CMA, ENER, HERO, IBM, LVS, MRO, NE ...

Analyst Calls: AAPL, AFL, BBT, CMA, ENER, HERO, IBM, LVS, MRO, NE ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Parker-Hannifin (PH) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• JDSU (JDSU) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Noble Corp. (NE) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Cerner (CERN) to buy from hold at Auriga.
• Cintas (CTAS) to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• American States Water (AWR) to buy from hold at Brean Murray.
• National Semiconductor (NSM) and Texas Instruments (TXN) to positive from neutral at Susquehanna.
• Lululemon (LULU) to buy from hold at ThinkEquity.
• DuPont Fabros (DFT) to top pick from outperform at RBC Capital.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: CERN, DFT, LVS, NE, NSM, OPEN, PH, QCOM, SHAW, TXN ...

Analyst Calls: CERN, DFT, LVS, NE, NSM, OPEN, PH, QCOM, SHAW, TXN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Las Vegas Sands (LVS) is a developer, owner and operator of destination casino resorts. It operates in the U.S., Macau, and Singapore. Competitors include Wynn Resorts, Limited (WYNN), MGM Resorts International (MGM), SJM (HKG:0880), Galaxy (HKG:0027) and Harrah's among others.

Continue reading Coverage Launch: $57.50 Trefis Price Estimate for Las Vegas Sands

Coverage Launch: $57.50 Trefis Price Estimate for Las Vegas Sands originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Friday's fourth-quarter GDP numbers offered more evidence that the economy is picking up steam, but one of the biggest obstacles to the recovery remains the stubbornly high unemployment rate. We'll find out whether there's been any movement on that front when employment data for January comes out this week. The Challenger Job-Cut report and ADP employment data are due Wednesday, and the government's unemployment rate on Friday. Another mild increase in jobs is expected, in line with the three-month average, but not enough to significantly reduce the unemployment rate.

Also look for the ISM manufacturing and nonmanufacturing indexes this week, as well as the Chicago PMI and the New York NAPM index. And Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke will speak to the National Press Club on Thursday.

Continue reading Week in Preview: January Employment Data, UPS Earnings and More

Week in Preview: January Employment Data, UPS Earnings and More originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 30 Jan 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Las Vegas Sands (LVS) overall option implied volatility is at 50, according to Track Data, below its 26-week average of 55 into its release of Q4 EPS on February 3, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Electronic Arts (ERTS) February and March option implied volatility is at 40, according to Track Data, near its 26-week average of 39 into its release of Q3 EPS on February 2, suggesting non-directional price movement.

Options Update is by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Options Update: Las Vegas Sands Volatility Low into EPS, Singapore and Macau Outlook originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Las Vegas Sands (LVS) gapped higher out of the gate Monday morning, as traders cheered the latest round of data from Macau. Casino revenues in the popular gambling destination rose 58% in 2010 to a record 188.34 billion patacas, or roughly $23.51 billion, according to the Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau.

Revenue for the month of December ballooned 66.4% to an all-time monthly high of 18.883 billion patacas, or approximately $2.36 billion.

Continue reading Las Vegas Sands Catches a Lift from Rising Macau Revenues

Las Vegas Sands Catches a Lift from Rising Macau Revenues originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Advance Auto Parts (AAP) was upgraded to Perform from Underperform at Oppenheimer.
• Macquarie upgraded Gen-Probe (GPRO) and Beckman Coulter (BEC) to neutral from underperform.
• Tyco (TYC) was upgraded to neutral from reduce at Nomura.
• BofA/Merrill upgraded Cousins Properties (CUZ) to buy from underperform.
• Morgan Stanley upgraded Energy Conversion (ENER) to equal weight from underweight.
• Thermo Fisher (TMO) was upgraded to buy from hold at Auriga.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AAP, DF, ENER, KEYW, LVS, NVS, SCHW, SLW, TYC ...

Analyst Calls: AAP, DF, ENER, KEYW, LVS, NVS, SCHW, SLW, TYC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Massey Energy (MEE) closed up $4.80 to $46.94 on reports that Alpha Natural (ANR) may buy the company, DJ says. December and January 55 calls are active on total call volume of 58K contracts, compared to put volume of 23K puts. November call option implied volatility is at 53 and January is at 48, compared to its 26-week average of 52. Increasing option volume suggests traders are positioning for price movement.

CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) closed down 29 cents to $18.23, near a six-month low after EPS, elections, FOMC meeting and October employment report.

CBOE option volume leaders today: Bank of America (BAC), Las Vegas Sands (LVS) JPMorgan (JPM) and Citigroup (C).

Options Update is by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Options Update: Massey Energy Calls Active on Reports of Buyout originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 06 Nov 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• State Street (STT) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Roth Capital upgraded Intel (INTC), Marvell Technology (MRVL) and Nvidia (NVDA) to buy from neutral.
• Bebe Stores (BEBE) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Janney Montgomery.
• W&T Offshore (WTI) was upgraded to buy from accumulate at Global Hunter.
• Citigroup upgraded International Rectifier (IRF) and Timberland (TBL) to hold from sell.
• Watson Pharma (WPI) was upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Atmel (ATML) was upgraded to strong buy from buy at Needham.
• Ashford Hospitality (AHT) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Oppenheimer upgraded MetroPCS (PCS) to outperform from perform.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: GDP, INTC, LVS, MON, MRVL, NTRS, NVDA, STT, WYNN ...

Analyst Calls: GDP, INTC, LVS, MON, MRVL, NTRS, NVDA, STT, WYNN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• JPMorgan upgraded Vivus (VVUS) to overweight from neutral.
• Citigroup upgraded Corn Products (CPO) to buy from hold.
• Maxim Integrated (MXIM) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• Cardinal Health (CAH) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Citigroup upgraded Monster Worldwide (MWW) and EchoStar (SATS) to buy from hold, as well as Las Vegas Sands (LVS) to buy from sell.
• BMO Capital upgraded Potash (POT) and Barrick Gold (ABX) to outperform from market perform.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: CAH, EXPE, FSLR, HOT, LVS, MWW, NUVA, POT ...

Analyst Calls: CAH, EXPE, FSLR, HOT, LVS, MWW, NUVA, POT ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• KeyBanc upgraded Las Vegas Sands (LVS) to hold from underweight based on Singapore performance and a potential revaluation of the yuan.
• ThinkEquity upgraded Seattle Genetics (SGEN) to buy from hold based on the positive SGN-35 HL data. The firm raised its price target to $16 from $12.
• Merriman upgraded Applied Signal (APSG) to buy from neutral with a $28 to $31 valuation range, citing greater confidence in earnings estimates and the company's recent contract wins.
• Siliconware Precision (SPIL) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at Macquarie.
• Pulte Group (PHM) was upgraded to neutral from sell at Goldman.
• Greenbrier (GBX) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Morgan Keegan.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AAI, APSG, D, GBX, HSP, LVS, SGEN, SI, SON, TGT, TXT ...

Analyst Calls: AAI, APSG, D, GBX, HSP, LVS, SGEN, SI, SON, TGT, TXT ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As more and more people are finding the discretionary dollars to stick into slot machines and slap down on blackjack tables, you might want to consider putting some money into Las Vegas Sands (LVS).

Las Vegas Sands is hitting multi-year highs as it continues its stellar, steady climb from below $1.50 in early 2009 to its current price just below $30, and it doesn't look like the stock is going to slow down any time soon.

With growth coming from the firm's Marina Bay Sands casino in Singapore and its majority owned subsidiary Sands China, Ltd. In China, Las Vegas Sands is in a position to benefit from the growing economies in Asia even as the U.S. economy muddles along.

Continue reading Las Vegas Sands Making Run at Pre-recession Levels

Las Vegas Sands Making Run at Pre-recession Levels originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Playboy Club to Hit Macau: Good News for the Stock?

Playboy Club to Hit Macau: Good News for the Stock? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 01 Jul 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Earlier this morning, Elizabeth Harrow wrote about a call seller in front-month Las Vegas Sands (LVS) options, expressing a moderately bearish outlook. That wasn't all the excitement in the Sands pits today, however, as we also saw call-spread activity in the September series. In contrast to the call selling, this particular trade represented a moderately bullish thesis.

Continue reading More Options Volume in Las Vegas Sands; This Time on the Bull Side

More Options Volume in Las Vegas Sands; This Time on the Bull Side originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS) has been a notable outperformer in 2010, with the shares adding more than 79% year-to-date. In fact, the gaming guru tagged a new annual high of $27.80 Monday, marking its best price since October 2008. However, judging by a major options trade that crossed the tape Monday morning, not everyone is expecting the equity's positive momentum to continue.

Shortly after the open, a block of 3,390 contracts changed hands on LVS' July 31 call, just below the bid price -- indicating they were most likely sold. Open interest at this newly front-month strike currently totals just 1,005 contracts, so it's safe to assume that these are newly opened short calls.

Continue reading Option Trader 'Calls' a Top to Las Vegas Sands' Ascent

Option Trader 'Calls' a Top to Las Vegas Sands' Ascent originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Gamble on Macau: Wynn and Las Vegas Sands

Gamble on Macau: Wynn and Las Vegas Sands originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Late Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Las Vegas Sands (LVS) is preparing to relaunch its stalled construction projects in Macau, China's hot gambling region. Financial woes forced Las Vegas Sands to walk away from the two construction sites a year ago, but newly secured funding means that the casino company can resume work on the projects as soon as January.

Las Vegas Sands disclosed in a regulatory filing on Monday that it secured $1.45 billion in financing from banks, and the firm is looking to lock down an additional $300 million. The gaming issue is also attempting to raise as much as $3.83 billion by launching an initial public offering (IPO) in Hong Kong of its Macau assets, about $500 million of which will be used to fund construction on the stalled sites.

Continue reading Las Vegas Sands to resume construction in Macau

Las Vegas Sands to resume construction in Macau originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Highly leveraged casinos were among the first to be locked out of credit markets last year," says Elliott Gue, noting that one company that suffered greatly from credit conditions was Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS).

Now, however, he see "strong propsects" for a recovery in the casino operator's future; he is particularly optimistic on the firm's Asian projects. Here's his review from Personal Finance.

"The economic downturn meant consumers reined in spending on leisure travel and gambling. Meanwhile, declining real estate prices near Las Vegas hit the local economy hard. Gaming revenues declined, and occupancy at Sin City's massive hotels plummeted.

Continue reading Gamble on Las Vegas Sands (LVS)

Gamble on Las Vegas Sands (LVS) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.