River Global Investors LLP trimmed its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) by 45.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 20,934 shares of the casino operator's stock after selling 17,246 shares during the period. River Global Investors LLP's holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $1,076,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,050 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $305,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 4.7% during the third quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 5,062 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $255,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 6,505 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $334,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 45.6% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 760 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 73.5% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 583 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the period. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Las Vegas Sands Stock Up 0.8 %
Shares of Las Vegas Sands stock traded up $0.34 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $45.40. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,064,334 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,612,722. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $45.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $47.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.05, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 1-year low of $36.62 and a 1-year high of $56.61.
Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 45.82% and a net margin of 12.80%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current year.
Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.20%. This is an increase from Las Vegas Sands's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Las Vegas Sands's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.76%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
LVS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised Las Vegas Sands from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $60.00 to $69.00 in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $51.00 to $49.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Las Vegas Sands has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $59.42.
Read Our Latest Research Report on LVS
Las Vegas Sands Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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