Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) Stock Position Trimmed by Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. reduced its position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) by 74.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,372 shares of the casino operator's stock after selling 27,520 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $481,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 6,505 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $334,000 after buying an additional 231 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 45.6% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 760 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 73.5% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 583 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Las Vegas Sands by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 5,595 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $287,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. Finally, RiverFront Investment Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. RiverFront Investment Group LLC now owns 10,257 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $527,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 39.16% of the company's stock.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Up 3.5 %

NYSE LVS traded up $1.27 on Friday, hitting $38.08. 6,355,836 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,057,274. The company has a market capitalization of $26.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.99. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $38.50 and a 200 day moving average of $45.30. 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 twelve month low of $30.18 and a twelve month high of $56.61.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The casino operator reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.60 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $2.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.95 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 45.82%. The business's revenue was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.78 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

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

Las Vegas Sands declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, April 23rd that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the casino operator to purchase up to 8.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LVS has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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. Stifel Nicolaus set a $57.00 target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Mizuho set a $47.00 price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $64.50 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus 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.