ARGA Investment Management LP Boosts Holdings in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

ARGA Investment Management LP raised its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) by 24.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,924,340 shares of the casino operator's stock after purchasing an additional 977,636 shares during the quarter. Las Vegas Sands accounts for about 8.2% of ARGA Investment Management LP's holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. ARGA Investment Management LP owned approximately 0.68% of Las Vegas Sands worth $247,891,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 7,647.7% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 443,325 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $19,617,000 after buying an additional 437,603 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 97.2% during the third quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 89,743 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $4,518,000 after acquiring an additional 44,223 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $619,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 29.9% in the 2nd quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 833,487 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $36,882,000 after purchasing an additional 191,805 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 5,627,422 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $283,284,000 after purchasing an additional 77,807 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 39.16% of the company's stock.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Up 3.2 %

Las Vegas Sands stock traded up $1.64 on Friday, hitting $53.06. 4,739,187 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,255,217. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 1 year low of $36.62 and a 1 year high of $55.65. The firm has a market cap of $38.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $50.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $45.01.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The casino operator reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $2.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.79 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 44.26% and a net margin of 13.29%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.55 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 5th were issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 5th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.51%. Las Vegas Sands's payout ratio is presently 39.60%.

Insider Transactions at Las Vegas Sands

In related news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 24,324 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.00, for a total transaction of $1,264,848.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 60,187 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,129,724. This trade represents a 28.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.91% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Susquehanna boosted their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $51.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. UBS Group lifted their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Argus lowered Las Vegas Sands from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $55.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $58.00.

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.