Amundi Lowers Stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

Key Points

• Amundi has reduced its stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. by 9.4%, holding approximately 1,057,811 shares valued at $38.5 million after the sale.
• The latest quarterly earnings report showed a profit of $0.79 per share, beating analysts' estimates and reflecting a 15% year-over-year revenue increase to $3.18 billion.
• The company announced a dividend of $0.25 per share, representing a 1.9% yield, with a current dividend payout ratio of 50.51%.

Amundi trimmed its stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) by 9.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,057,811 shares of the casino operator's stock after selling 109,733 shares during the quarter. Amundi owned approximately 0.15% of Las Vegas Sands worth $38,515,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Center for Financial Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 133.1% during the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,499 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 856 shares in the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $127,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 103.2% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,587 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $139,000 after buying an additional 1,822 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $153,000. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LVS traded down $1.21 during trading on Friday, reaching $53.51. The company had a trading volume of 1,976,749 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,550,403. The company has a fifty day moving average of $52.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $44.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.04. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12 month low of $30.18 and a 12 month high of $58.05.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The casino operator reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.83 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.16% and a return on equity of 55.37%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.55 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 5th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 5th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Las Vegas Sands's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on LVS. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Las Vegas Sands from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 7th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Las Vegas Sands presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $59.47.

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.