Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA Makes New $1.33 Million Investment in Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA acquired a new position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 20,377 shares of the casino operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,326,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 358.4% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 227,278 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $12,225,000 after purchasing an additional 177,695 shares during the last quarter. Donoghue Forlines LLC acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,143,000. Perpetual Ltd purchased a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,051,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 40.6% in the 4th quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 67,446 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $4,390,000 after buying an additional 19,488 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 2,655.3% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 878,022 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $57,150,000 after buying an additional 846,155 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

Las Vegas Sands stock opened at $52.07 on Tuesday. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12-month low of $39.29 and a 12-month high of $70.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.85. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $54.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.64, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.15. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 13.41% and a return on equity of 118.27%. The company had revenue of $3.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.32 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.59 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 5th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 5th. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.44%.

Insider Transactions at Las Vegas Sands

In other Las Vegas Sands news, CEO Patrick Dumont sold 60,165 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.75, for a total value of $3,294,033.75. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 511,942 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,028,824.50. This trade represents a 10.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LVS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. HSBC increased their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $68.00 to $65.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $68.28.

Las Vegas Sands Company Profile

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) is a global developer and operator of integrated resorts, focused on large-scale properties that combine casino gaming with hotels, convention and exhibition facilities, retail, dining, and entertainment. The company’s operations center on developing and managing full-service resort complexes that serve both leisure and business travelers, with emphasis on convention and trade-show business in addition to gaming revenue streams.

The company’s portfolio has included prominent properties in North America and Asia, most notably The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, along with a significant presence in Macau through multiple integrated resorts.