Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS Shares Purchased by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 4.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 43,072,014 shares of the casino operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,822,806 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 6.27% of Las Vegas Sands worth $1,874,063,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky boosted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 2.3% in the first quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 26,848 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $1,037,000 after buying an additional 614 shares during the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 12.9% in the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 63,366 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $2,448,000 after acquiring an additional 7,245 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 61.6% in the first quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 129,729 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $5,011,000 after acquiring an additional 49,458 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the first quarter worth $535,000. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 12.8% during the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 10,346 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $400,000 after purchasing an additional 1,172 shares during the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Up 1.3%

Las Vegas Sands stock opened at $64.29 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.42, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.47 billion, a PE ratio of 29.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.03. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $56.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $50.80. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12 month low of $30.18 and a 12 month high of $67.83.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $3.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.04 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 73.14%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.44 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 4th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 4th. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio is 45.25%.

Insider Transactions at Las Vegas Sands

In related news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 700,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.88, for a total value of $41,216,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP D. Zachary Hudson sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total value of $6,499,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $892,637.65. This trade represents a 87.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 2,100,000 shares of company stock worth $126,218,200 over the last ninety days. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LVS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Susquehanna increased their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Barclays lifted their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $59.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Las Vegas Sands in a research report on Tuesday. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $66.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Las Vegas Sands presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $64.60.

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.