Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Buys 144,749 Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) by 531.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 172,006 shares of the casino operator's stock after acquiring an additional 144,749 shares during the quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd's holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $8,699,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 159.6% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 9,130,486 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $459,630,000 after acquiring an additional 5,612,975 shares during the period. ARGA Investment Management LP grew its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 24.8% during the 3rd quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 4,924,340 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $247,891,000 after acquiring an additional 977,636 shares during the period. Suvretta Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the third quarter valued at about $24,370,000. Bamco Inc. NY grew its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 29.2% in the 3rd quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 1,581,075 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $79,591,000 after buying an additional 357,234 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James & Associates raised its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 82.2% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 499,852 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $25,163,000 after purchasing an additional 225,510 shares during the period. 39.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

Las Vegas Sands stock traded down $0.34 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $44.59. 3,348,065 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,496,000. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $36.62 and a fifty-two week high of $56.60. The stock has a market cap of $32.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.08. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $49.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $46.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.89.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The casino operator reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by ($0.04). Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 43.76% and a net margin of 12.80%. On average, research analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.24%. This is an increase from Las Vegas Sands's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Las Vegas Sands's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.61%.

Insider Activity at Las Vegas Sands

In other Las Vegas Sands news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 60,187 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.02, for a total transaction of $3,191,114.74. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 24,324 shares of the business'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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 60,187 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,129,724. The trade was a 28.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on LVS shares. 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 report on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $51.00 price target (down previously from $54.00) on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on 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. Barclays cut their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $58.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $52.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Las Vegas Sands currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $59.58.

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.