Highlights for the Quarter Ended December 31, 2015 (Compared to the Quarter Ended December 31, 2014) – Consolidated Adjusted Property EBITDA was $1.05 Billion – In Macao: – Adjusted Property EBITDA was $575.3 Million – Strong Cost Discipline Drove a 130 Basis Point Improvement in Hold-Normalized Adjusted Property EBITDA Margin to 34.7% – At Marina Bay Sands in Singapore: – Hold-Normalized Adjusted Property EBITDA was $374.8 Million, While Adjusted Property EBITDA was $338.2 Million – On a Constant-Currency Basis, and Excluding the Impact of a $90.1 Million Property Tax Refund in the Quarter Ended December 31, 2014, Hold-Normalized Adjusted Property EBITDA Increased 11.8% – Hold-Normalized Adjusted Earnings per Diluted Share was $0.64; Adjusted Earnings per Diluted Share was $0.62; and GAAP Earnings per Diluted Share was $0.59 – The Company Paid Dividends of $0.65 per Share – The Company Returned $60.0 Million of Capital to Shareholders Through its Stock Repurchase Program For the Year Ended December 31, 2015 (Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2014) – Net Revenue was $11.69 Billion, Consolidated Adjusted Property EBITDA was $4.17 Billion, Net Income Attributable to Las Vegas Sands was $1.97 Billion and Adjusted Earnings per Diluted Share was $2.55 – The Company Paid Dividends of $2.60 per Share – The Company's Board of Directors Announced an Increase of 10.8% in the Company's Recurring Common Stock Dividend for the 2016 Calendar Year to $2.88 per Share ($0.72 per Share per Quarter) – The Company Returned $205.0 Million of Capital to Shareholders Through its Stock Repurchase Program
Mr. Sheldon G. Adelson, chairman and chief executive officer, said, "The operating environment in Macao remained challenging during the quarter; however, our focus on the higher margin mass and non-gaming segments and the geographic diversification of our cash flows allowed us to once again deliver in excess of one billion U.S. dollars of adjusted property EBITDA during the quarter. We remain sharply focused on the consistent execution of our global growth strategy, which leverages the power of our unique convention-based Integrated Resort business model.
"Our convention-based Integrated Resort business model appeals to the broadest set of customers, generates the most diversified set of cash flows and delivers the industry's highest revenue and profit from non-gaming segments, while bringing unsurpassed economic and diversification benefits to the regions in which we operate. We remain confident in our ability to both further extend our global leadership position and deliver strong growth in the future.
"The prudent management of our cash flow, including the ability to increase the return of capital to shareholders while maintaining a strong balance sheet and ample liquidity to invest in future growth opportunities, remains a cornerstone of our strategy."
The company paid a recurring quarterly dividend of $0.65 per common share during the quarter, an increase of 30.0% compared to the fourth quarter of 2014. The company also announced that its next recurring quarterly dividend of $0.72 per common share will be paid on March 31, 2016, to Las Vegas Sands shareholders of record on March 22, 2016. That dividend represents an increase of 10.8% compared to the dividend paid in the first quarter of 2015. Additionally, since the inception of the company's share repurchase program in June 2013, the company has returned $2.44 billion to shareholders through the repurchase of 35.4 million shares, including $60.0 million of common stock (1.3 million shares at a weighted average price of $44.55) during the quarter ended December 31, 2015.
Mr. Adelson added, "In Macao, notwithstanding an operating environment that remains challenging, we delivered $575.3 million in adjusted property EBITDA across our Macao property portfolio during the quarter, our strongest quarterly performance of the year. We remain confident that our market-leading Cotai Strip properties, which will be complemented in the future by The Parisian Macao, targeted to open in late 2016, will continue to provide the economic benefits of diversification to Macao, help attract greater numbers of business and leisure travelers, and provide an outstanding and diversified platform for growth in the years ahead."
At Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, we continue to attract visitors from across the region to Singapore, which enabled us to generate another record mass gaming win-per-day in local currency terms. While the impact of the stronger U.S. Dollar and low win percentage on rolling table games play each negatively impacted our reported financial results for the quarter, both gaming volumes and our non-gaming segments remain resilient. On a constant currency basis, hold-normalized adjusted property EBITDA, excluding the impact of a $90.1 million property tax refund received in the prior year, increased 11.8%.
At the Venetian, Palazzo and Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas, a 22.2% year-over-year increase in RevPAR to $220 drove a 24.9% increase in adjusted property EBITDA.
Company-Wide Operating Results
Net revenue for the fourth quarter of 2015 decreased 16.2% to $2.86 billion, compared to $3.42 billion in the fourth quarter of 2014. Consolidated adjusted property EBITDA of $1.05 billion decreased 21.9% in the fourth quarter of 2015, compared to the year-ago quarter. On a hold-normalized basis, adjusted property EBITDA decreased 16.0% to $1.07 billion in the fourth quarter of 2015.
On a GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) basis, operating income in the fourth quarter of 2015 decreased 31.3% to $702.0 million, compared to $1.02 billion in the fourth quarter of 2014. The decrease in operating income was principally due to softer results across the company's Macao property portfolio and a $90.1 million benefit in the fourth quarter of 2014 relating to a property tax refund at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.
On a GAAP basis, net income attributable to Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter of 2015 decreased 35.4% to $465.8 million, compared to $721.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2014, while diluted earnings per share in the fourth quarter of 2015 decreased 34.4% to $0.59, compared to $0.90 in the prior-year quarter. The decrease in net income attributable to Las Vegas Sands reflected the decline in operating income described above, partially offset by a $47.5 million decrease in net income attributable to noncontrolling interests.
Adjusted net income (see Note 1) decreased to $492.4 million, or $0.62 per diluted share, compared to $734.2 million, or $0.92 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2014.
Full year 2015 net revenue decreased 19.9% to $11.69 billion, compared to $14.58 billion in 2014. Consolidated adjusted property EBITDA in 2015 decreased 23.1% to $4.17 billion, compared to $5.42 billion in 2014. Consolidated adjusted property EBITDA margin decreased 150 basis points to 35.7% in 2015, compared to 37.2% in 2014. Negative operating leverage from declining revenues in Macao were the primary reason for the EBITDA margin contraction in 2015, despite the partial off-set provided by the implementation of cost-control programs.
Full year adjusted net income (see Note 1) was $2.03 billion in 2015, or $2.55 per diluted share, compared to $2.89 billion, or $3.58 per diluted share, in 2014.
On a GAAP basis, full year 2015 operating income decreased 30.7% to $2.84 billion, compared to $4.10 billion in 2014. The decrease in operating income was principally due to weaker operating results across our Macao property portfolio. Net income attributable to Las Vegas Sands decreased 30.8% to $1.97 billion, or $2.47 per diluted share, in 2015, compared to $2.84 billion, or $3.52 per diluted share, in 2014. The decline in net income attributable to Las Vegas Sands reflected the decrease in operating income described above, partially offset by a decrease in net income attributable to noncontrolling interests.
Sands China Ltd. Consolidated Financial Results
On a GAAP basis, total net revenues for Sands China Ltd. decreased 21.7% to $1.66 billion in the fourth quarter of 2015, compared to $2.12 billion in the fourth quarter of 2014. Adjusted property EBITDA for Sands China Ltd. decreased 18.5% to $581.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2015, compared to $713.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2014. Net income for Sands China Ltd. decreased 29.3% to $378.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2015, compared to $535.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2014.
On a GAAP basis, full year 2015 total net revenues for Sands China Ltd. decreased 28.3% to $6.86 billion, compared to $9.57 billion in 2014. Adjusted property EBITDA for Sands China Ltd. decreased 31.9% to $2.22 billion in 2015, compared to $3.26 billion in 2014. Net income for Sands China Ltd. decreased 43.1% to $1.45 billion in 2015, compared to $2.55 billion in 2014.
The Venetian Macao Fourth Quarter Operating Results
Despite the softer gaming market in Macao, The Venetian Macao continued to enjoy Macao market-leading visitation and financial performance. The property generated adjusted property EBITDA of $297.3 million in the fourth quarter with an EBITDA margin of 39.1%. Non-Rolling Chip drop was $1.74 billion for the quarter, with a Non-Rolling Chip win percentage of 23.4%. Rolling Chip volume during the quarter decreased 20.8% to $8.0 billion. Rolling Chip win percentage was 3.34% in the quarter, above the 2.61% experienced in the prior-year quarter. Slot handle was $1.01 billion.
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