Vanguard Group Inc. Has $2 Billion Stock Holdings in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Vanguard Group Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 7.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 38,981,901 shares of the casino operator’s stock after selling 3,366,151 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 5.38% of Las Vegas Sands worth $2,002,110,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 159.6% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 9,130,486 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $459,630,000 after buying an additional 5,612,975 shares in the last quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 32.0% during the 4th quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 6,501,382 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $333,911,000 after acquiring an additional 1,577,042 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 13.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 11,662,548 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $598,988,000 after acquiring an additional 1,389,963 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,221,000. Finally, Suvretta Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the third quarter valued at approximately $24,370,000. 39.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE LVS opened at $40.33 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.88 billion, a PE ratio of 20.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.07. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $43.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $47.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12 month low of $36.62 and a 12 month high of $56.61.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The casino operator reported $0.54 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%. On average, analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.48%. Las Vegas Sands’s payout ratio is presently 50.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on LVS shares. 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 report on Friday, January 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target 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, Macquarie increased their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.42.

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.