Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Takes Position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 243,505 shares of the casino operator’s stock, valued at approximately $12,506,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LVS. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 13.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 11,662,548 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $598,988,000 after buying an additional 1,389,963 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 159.6% in 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 lifted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 32.0% in the 4th quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 6,501,382 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $333,911,000 after purchasing an additional 1,577,042 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 1.4% during 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 during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,659,427 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $133,876,000 after purchasing an additional 57,739 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Down 1.4 %

NYSE LVS opened at $43.74 on Thursday. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12 month low of $36.62 and a 12 month high of $56.60. The company has a market capitalization of $31.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.20, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.08. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $46.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $47.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $0.25 dividend. 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. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.29%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 60,187 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on LVS shares. Macquarie boosted their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $60.00 to $69.00 in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Citigroup increased their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $64.50 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.42.

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.