Aquatic Capital Management LLC Invests $3.72 Million in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 72,493 shares of the casino operator's stock, valued at approximately $3,723,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 32.2% in 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. ARGA Investment Management LP lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 1,577,042 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 13,810,351 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $709,300,000 after acquiring an additional 160,711 shares in the last quarter. Polymer Capital Management HK LTD acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter worth about $2,311,000. Finally, World Equity Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 82.9% during the 4th quarter. World Equity Group Inc. now owns 25,602 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $1,315,000 after acquiring an additional 11,602 shares in the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

Las Vegas Sands stock traded up $0.11 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $36.78. 5,783,171 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,059,878. The company has a market capitalization of $25.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.99. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $38.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $45.57. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 1 year low of $30.18 and a 1 year high of $56.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.74.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The casino operator reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.60 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $2.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.95 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 45.82%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.78 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 6th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 6th. Las Vegas Sands's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.56%.

Las Vegas Sands announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 23rd that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the casino operator to reacquire up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Las Vegas Sands to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective 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. Barclays decreased their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $58.00 to $53.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Mizuho set a $47.00 price target on Las Vegas Sands in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $56.75.

Las Vegas Sands 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.