New York (AP) -- Shares of companies that operate casinos sank to new lows Tuesday on reports that the industry is suffering in the wake of the nation's economic downturn. Thomas Weisel Partners analyst Jake Fuller, in a note citing several factors for cutting his price target and earnings estimates for Las Vegas Sands Corp., noted his own survey work found the company's Venetian Las Vegas "discounting heavily in the June-July timeframe."

New York (AP) -- Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. slipped Wednesday as a Lehman Brothers analyst downgraded the casino operator's stock, saying it is too expensive. Analyst Felicia Hendrix wrote in a client note that she views Las Vegas Sands as a "concept" stock, based on growth opportunities in China/Asia and unknown potential in Macau. She also wrote that she can't come up with a new price target on concepts and is "uncomfortable with chasing the stock."

Interest in the growing Macau casino market fueled investors’ actions regarding shares of two gaming operators during August. Las Vegas Sands opened the USD 2.4 billion Venetian Macau last week, and Wynn Resorts reported better-than-expected earnings in early August. Both companies recorded double-digit increases in their average daily share prices during the month. The stock prices of other companies weren’t so lucky.