Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS Stake Lifted by VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al increased its holdings in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 422,600 shares of the casino operator’s stock after buying an additional 38,000 shares during the quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $15,979,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in LVS. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 73.4% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 886 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. grew its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 24.2% during the 3rd quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 1,788 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 174.6% during the 2nd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,634 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 1,039 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt purchased a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 2nd quarter valued at about $86,000. 39.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

LVS opened at $36.92 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $39.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $49.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.27, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market cap of $23.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.13, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.78. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 1-year low of $35.03 and a 1-year high of $70.45.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The casino operator reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.14). Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 11.85% and a return on equity of 177.43%. The business had revenue of $3.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.33 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.78 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 2nd will be issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 2nd. Las Vegas Sands’s payout ratio is 49.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on LVS shares. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Seaport Research Partners cut their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $69.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $54.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Finally, HSBC decreased their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $78.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $53.28.

About Las Vegas Sands

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) is a global developer and operator of integrated resorts, combining hotel accommodations, casinos, convention and exhibition facilities, restaurants, retail outlets, entertainment venues and other leisure amenities. The company serves both mass-market and premium customers through large-scale properties designed to support tourism and business travel.

Las Vegas Sands’ principal operations are in Macau and Singapore. Its Macau portfolio includes properties such as The Venetian Macao, The Londoner Macao, The Parisian Macao, Sands Macao and The Plaza Macao.