Wynn Resorts (WYNN - option chain) shares are rising today on news that casino revenue in the Chinese province of Macau rose 48% to $2.5 billion in March, according to government statistics. WYNN owns one of the six casinos operating on the island. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on WYNN.

WYNN opened this morning at $130.00. So far today the stock has hit a low of $129.71 and a high of $135.59. As of 11:50, WYNN is trading at $135.29 up $8.13 (6.4%). The chart for WYNN looks bullish and S&P gives WYNN a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking.

Continue reading Wynn Lifted by Surging Macau Revenue

Wynn Lifted by Surging Macau Revenue originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Wynn Resorts (WYNN) is a developer, owner and operator of destination casino resorts. It currently owns and operates the Wynn and Encore resort casinos in Las Vegas, as well as Wynn Macau and Encore in Macau. Competitors include Las Vegas Sands (LVS), MGM Resorts International (MGM), SJM, Galaxy and Harrah's among others.

We currently maintain a $118 price estimate for Wynn Resorts stock, roughly 10% below market price.

Continue reading Hotel Room Rate Outlook at Wynn's Las Vegas Properties

Hotel Room Rate Outlook at Wynn's Las Vegas Properties originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 13 Mar 2011 11:20:00 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.

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.

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.

Continue reading Wynn Resorts Trades Higher Following Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Wynn Resorts Trades Higher Following Better-Than-Expected Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:20:00 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.

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) reported this morning that one of its subsidiaries has filed an application to list its shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The move was widely expected, as LVS CEO Sheldon Adelson said in July that the casino firm was considering an initial public offering (IPO) or sale of its Macau assets.

"No decisions have been made regarding the timing or terms of any such offering or whether the subsidiary will ultimately proceed with such a transaction," reported LVS in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Continue reading Las Vegas Sands files for Hong Kong IPO of Macau unit

Las Vegas Sands files for Hong Kong IPO of Macau unit originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Tourism slumping in Macau

Tourism slumping in Macau originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 26 May 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Casino operator Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) announced that first-quarter adjusted profit totaled a penny per share, thanks to cost reductions and more Macau visitors. These results excluded some items, and topped the consensus estimate for a loss of roughly 2.5 cents per share.

LVS announced that its "fundamentals are getting better," with improving gaming revenue and tourism classified as "OK." The company also hopes that some visa restrictions may be removed, which could help its efforts to start a rally.

LVS has lowered its worker hours and cut jobs in order to cut costs and avoid potential defaults. The company also stopped a condominium development in Vegas and halted construction in Macau to help withstand the recession.

Continue reading Las Vegas Sands posts a quarterly profit

Las Vegas Sands posts a quarterly profit originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 May 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

After hitting a one-year low of $85.53 in June, the stock hit a one-year high of $176.14 in October. WYNN opened this morning at $95.81. So far today the stock has hit a low of $95.60 and a high of $106.96. As of 12:15, WYNN is trading at $101.55, up $6.01 (6.3%). The chart for WYNN looks neutral and deteriorating, while S&P gives the stock a bearish 2 Stars (out of 5) Sell rating.

For a bullish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a June bull-put credit spread below the $75 range. A bull-put credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of put options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. For this particular trade, we will make a 9.9% return in just two months as long as WYNN is above $75 at June expiration. Wynn would have to fall by more than 26% before we would start to lose money. Learn more about this type of trade here.

Continue reading Wynn Resorts (WYNN) rises on news from Macau

Wynn Resorts (WYNN) rises on news from Macau originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Las Vegas Sands (LVS) rises on encouraging Macau numbers

Las Vegas Sands (LVS) rises on encouraging Macau numbers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 05 Feb 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post was part of the AOL Money & Finance Best & Worst of 2007 feature. The voting has now closed and readers have chosen the Dubai as the breakout city of the year. Be sure to let us know in the comments if you are pleased with this result.

What are breakout cities? Cities that seemed to pop up in news stories with uncommon frequency, that have developed a cachet, that appear on the itinerary of early adopters. For your consideration here are four outstanding, very different candidates for this honor. Which whets your travel appetite?

Dubai City, U.A.E.
Nothing helps build a city quicker than petrodollars and a monarchy devoted to world-class projects. Dubai has all of that and more. The city that calls itself the "City Built For Tourism" is known as the home of the world's largest free-standing hotel, the Burj Al Arab. This ultra-ultra-luxury, 1,000-ft. tall hotel with a profile evoking billowing sails has quickly become the symbol of Dubai.

Under the vision of the ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai has used its free-trade zone status to also develop into a world center for business. Having the world's largest manmade harbor and an airline that serves as a hub for the Persian Gulf region (with a new one under construction) helps, too. Dubai's acceptance of other culture's mores has helped turn it into a popular tourism destination, as well.

Continue reading Best & Worst of 2007: Breakout cities of the year

Best & Worst of 2007: Breakout cities of the year originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Last December, over 100 stocks were featured in our Top Picks for 2007 report. Now, at mid-year, we turn to the 20 advisors whose picks showed the strongest gains to get an update on their previous picks, as well as a new favorite stock for the second half of the year.

Ian Wyatt, editor of The Growth Report, chose LJ International Inc. (NASDAQ: JADE) as his favorite stock for 2007. Its 173% gain as of 6/1/07 has made it the number one performer among all stocks in our Top Picks for 2007 report. Here is Ian's original recommendation for JADE and his current favorite stock for the rest of 2007.

Updating his recommendation, the advisor now says, "LJ International continues to capitalize on China's extraordinary growth and accompanying demand for luxury goods -- specifically high-end jewelry -- by expanding its network of ENZO branded jewelry stores.

"Since 2004, when LJI began opening retail jewelry stores in China, it has opened more than 45 stores, established a presence in all of China's major cities, including Hong Kong and Macau, and established itself as China's #1 foreign branded jewelry retailer (Hong Kong and U.S. based), ahead of Tiffany & Co.

"The company has plans to more than double its network to 100 stores by year-end 2007, ahead of the Beijing Olympics. These stores generate robust sales, and, more impressive, nearly half of the existing stores are already profitable. Continued growth of its retail operations will enhance LJI's profitability since ENZO gross margins are twice those of the wholesale business.

Continue reading Top 20 advisors: Ian Wyatt wins with JADE

Top 20 advisors: Ian Wyatt wins with JADE originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 27 Jun 2007 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Kerkorian bails on MGM Mirage property purchase originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 20 Jun 2007 11:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS), Wynn Resorts Ltd. (NASDAQ: WYNN), and MGM Mirage (NYSE: MGM) all have huge investments in the Las Vegas of the east, Macau. How large is illustrated by the drop in stock prices when, last Friday, a local China paper reported that Guangdong province was tightening travel restrictions to Macau. LVS finished down 1.56% and Wynn dropped 2.02%. MGM weathered the storm to finish even, possibly buoyed by Kirk Kerkorian's offer last week to buy two prime (non-Macau) properties.

Because the Macau region now surpasses Las Vegas in gambling revenue, punters have taken a distinctly bullish view of development, ignoring the Chinese government's capricious attitude about its people's freedom of movement.

I don't expect the Chinese government to strangle the growth of the Macau region, especially in the run-up to the 2008 Olympics. However, I think that we'll see more occasional setbacks in the stock of these companies, whenever something like this happens to remind investors of the greater risk they assume by piling their chips on red to win.

Macau casinos threatened by travel restrictions originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 May 2007 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

That's right: Branson, the Missouri resort-town best-known for all-you-can-eat buffets and family-friendly theaters featuring performers like the Osmonds and Anita Bryant, will now be offering casino gambling. Well, not quite. Actually, mogul of all trades Richard Branson is in negotiations to acquire a site in Macao for a $3 billion dollar casino project.

This announcement comes on the heels of Macau surpassing Las Vegas in gaming revenue. Now, it looks like the former Portuguese enclave (now back under Chinese control) will have its own flamboyant casino mogul to rival Steve Wynn and Donald Trump.

Branson mulls building casino originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 26 Jan 2007 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• US Airways Group Inc.' (NYSE: LCC) option implied volatility is at 49 into US Air raising its bid for Delta Air Lines (OTC: DALRQ). US Airways increased its proposed offer of merging with Delta, which is currently operating under bankruptcy protection. US Airways is offering $5 billion in cash and 89.5 million in shares of stock. US AIrways is recently up 1.26 to $59.16. US Airways overall option implied volatility of 49 is near its 26-week average, according to Track Data, suggesting non-directional risks.
• Las Vegas Sands Corp.' (NYSE: LVS) option volume, implied volatility and share price are all up on the right to develop Hengqin Island. Las Vegas Sands, the operator of the Sands Macau and Las Vegas Sands, is recently up $10.22 to $102.68. Jefferies said "after speaking with management today we learned that Las Vegas Sands was officially granted the right to develop on Hengqin Island, as we expected." Jefferies added "we currently value the project at $34 from the real estate development to be built over the course of 11 years." Las Vegas Sands call option volume of 20,530 contracts compares to put volume of 14,794 contracts. Las Vegas Sands February option implied volatility of 44 is near its 26-week average of 41, according to Track Data, suggesting larger price fluctuations.
  

Daily option update 1-10-07: US Airways, Las Vegas Sands highlighted originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 11 Jan 2007 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.