Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. Reduces Holdings in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. cut its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 325,100 shares of the casino operator's stock after selling 8,100 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C.'s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $16,697,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MGO One Seven LLC raised its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 7,773 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $399,000 after purchasing an additional 388 shares during the period. Altrinsic Global Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Altrinsic Global Advisors LLC now owns 322,162 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $16,546,000 after buying an additional 1,865 shares during the period. Quantessence Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $288,000. IHT Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 134.9% in the 4th quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,428 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $741,000 after acquiring an additional 8,286 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 101.3% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 24,921 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $1,280,000 after acquiring an additional 12,543 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 39.16% of the company's stock.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Up 3.4 %

NYSE LVS traded up $1.25 on Friday, reaching $38.06. The stock had a trading volume of 2,608,577 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,046,871. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12-month low of $30.18 and a 12-month high of $56.61. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $38.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $45.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.99. 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 - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The casino operator reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60 by ($0.01). Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 45.82% and a net margin of 12.80%. The business had revenue of $2.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.95 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.78 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 23rd that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the casino operator to buy up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 6th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.63%. Las Vegas Sands's payout ratio is 55.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays lowered their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $58.00 to $53.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus set a $57.00 price objective on Las Vegas Sands and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Las Vegas Sands to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $56.75.

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.