Van ECK Associates Corp Boosts Position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) by 204.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 142,509 shares of the casino operator's stock after purchasing an additional 95,753 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp's holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $7,319,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the fourth quarter worth $75,000. Savant Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 18,404 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $945,000 after purchasing an additional 941 shares during the period. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter valued at about $124,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,600 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 550 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 45.6% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 760 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 39.16% of the company's stock.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of LVS traded down $0.97 on Friday, hitting $44.00. 4,160,667 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,936,545. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 1 year low of $36.62 and a 1 year high of $56.60. The stock's 50 day moving average is $46.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.08. 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 (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The casino operator reported $0.54 earnings per share 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 predict that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on LVS shares. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $64.50 to $67.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $58.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Mizuho boosted their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $52.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target 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. Finally, Macquarie boosted their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $59.58.

Insider Buying and Selling at Las Vegas Sands

In other Las Vegas Sands news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 60,187 shares of Las Vegas Sands stock in a transaction on Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.02, for a total value of $3,191,114.74. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.91% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.