Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC Purchases Shares of 2,000 Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 2,000 shares of the casino operator’s stock, valued at approximately $103,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in LVS. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 97.2% during the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 89,743 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $4,518,000 after acquiring an additional 44,223 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 32.2% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 32,948 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $1,707,000 after purchasing an additional 8,032 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 1.4% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 5,627,422 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $283,284,000 after purchasing an additional 77,807 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 33.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 548,072 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $27,590,000 after buying an additional 136,859 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ARGA Investment Management LP grew 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 buying an additional 1,577,042 shares in the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE LVS opened at $44.00 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $46.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $47.06. The company has a market cap of $31.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.08. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12 month low of $36.62 and a 12 month high of $56.60. 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) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The casino operator reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by ($0.04). Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 45.82%. Sell-side analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.27%. This is a boost from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Las Vegas Sands’s payout ratio is presently 50.76%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on LVS. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $51.00 price target (down from $54.00) on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Barclays dropped their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $60.00 to $69.00 in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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 the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.02, for a total transaction of $3,191,114.74. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.

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.