Head-To-Head Analysis: Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) versus Sweetgreen (NYSE:SG)
by Teresa Graham · The Cerbat GemSweetgreen (NYSE:SG – Get Free Report) and Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS – Get Free Report) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, valuation, dividends, risk and institutional ownership.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
95.8% of Sweetgreen shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 39.2% of Las Vegas Sands shares are held by institutional investors. 18.2% of Sweetgreen shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.5% of Las Vegas Sands shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.
Risk and Volatility
Sweetgreen has a beta of 2.2, meaning that its share price is 120% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Las Vegas Sands has a beta of 0.83, meaning that its share price is 17% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Profitability
This table compares Sweetgreen and Las Vegas Sands’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Sweetgreen | 2.01% | -32.94% | -16.42% |
| Las Vegas Sands | 12.59% | 133.90% | 9.99% |
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares Sweetgreen and Las Vegas Sands”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Sweetgreen | $679.47 million | 1.17 | -$134.07 million | $0.10 | 67.04 |
| Las Vegas Sands | $13.72 billion | 2.11 | $1.63 billion | $2.57 | 17.43 |
Las Vegas Sands has higher revenue and earnings than Sweetgreen. Las Vegas Sands is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Sweetgreen, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a summary of current ratings for Sweetgreen and Las Vegas Sands, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Sweetgreen | 3 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 2.05 |
| Las Vegas Sands | 1 | 9 | 10 | 0 | 2.45 |
Sweetgreen presently has a consensus target price of $7.10, suggesting a potential upside of 5.91%. Las Vegas Sands has a consensus target price of $61.88, suggesting a potential upside of 38.13%. Given Las Vegas Sands’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Las Vegas Sands is more favorable than Sweetgreen.
Summary
Las Vegas Sands beats Sweetgreen on 10 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Sweetgreen
Sweetgreen, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates fast food restaurants serving healthy foods at scale in the United States. The company also accepts orders through its online and mobile ordering platforms, as well as sells gift cards that do not have an expiration date and can be redeemed. The company was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.
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. The company’s integrated resorts feature accommodations, gaming, entertainment and retail malls, convention and exhibition facilities, celebrity chef restaurants, and other amenities. Las Vegas Sands Corp. was founded in 1988 and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.