Davidson Investment Advisors Sells 17,798 Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Davidson Investment Advisors trimmed its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) by 6.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 269,822 shares of the casino operator's stock after selling 17,798 shares during the period. Davidson Investment Advisors' holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $13,858,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 73.5% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 583 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Vestor Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 39.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LVS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $52.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Macquarie boosted their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Las Vegas Sands from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $60.00 to $69.00 in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $59.58.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 60,187 shares of Las Vegas Sands stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.02, for a total value of $3,191,114.74. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.91% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

NYSE LVS traded down $0.97 during trading on Friday, hitting $44.00. 4,160,667 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,936,545. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $36.62 and a fifty-two week high of $56.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35. The company has a market cap of $31.50 billion, a PE ratio of 22.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.08. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $46.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $47.06.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The casino operator reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.58 by ($0.04). Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 45.82%. Research analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This is a positive change from Las Vegas Sands's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Las Vegas Sands's payout ratio is 50.76%.

Las Vegas Sands Company Profile

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.