Aquatic Capital Management LLC Has $16.95 Million Stock Position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

Key Points

• Aquatic Capital Management increased its stake by 110.1% in Las Vegas Sands (LVS) during Q3, holding 315,168 shares worth about $16.95 million after acquiring an additional 165,157 shares.
• Las Vegas Sands beat expectations for the quarter with $0.85 EPS vs. $0.77 consensus and revenue of $3.65 billion, up 26% year-over-year.
• Major insiders sold large positions (Miriam Adelson sold 77,991 shares; CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 1,198,650 shares) even as the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.30 (annualized $1.20, ~2.2% yield).

Aquatic Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) by 110.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 315,168 shares of the casino operator's stock after acquiring an additional 165,157 shares during the quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC's holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $16,953,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 358.4% during the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 227,278 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $12,225,000 after purchasing an additional 177,695 shares during the period. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 124.4% in the second quarter. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,003,880 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $43,679,000 after buying an additional 556,440 shares during the period. Donoghue Forlines LLC bought a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the third quarter valued at about $2,143,000. National Pension Service acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands during the third quarter worth about $1,262,000. Finally, CWM LLC increased its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 78.0% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 102,576 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $5,518,000 after acquiring an additional 44,940 shares during the period. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

Las Vegas Sands stock opened at $53.67 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $57.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.58, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The company has a market capitalization of $36.06 billion, a PE ratio of 22.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.88. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a one year low of $30.18 and a one year high of $70.45.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The casino operator reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $3.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.33 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 91.40% and a net margin of 12.50%.The business's revenue was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.54 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This is an increase from Las Vegas Sands's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Las Vegas Sands's dividend payout ratio is 51.28%.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Miriam Adelson sold 77,991 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.56, for a total transaction of $5,269,071.96. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 23,333,441 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,576,407,273.96. This trade represents a 0.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 1,198,650 shares of Las Vegas Sands stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.68, for a total transaction of $79,925,982.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 2,062,502 shares of company stock valued at $137,730,622 over the last three months. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $75.00 to $72.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $66.00 target price on Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays set a $64.00 target price on Las Vegas Sands in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners lowered their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $75.00 to $72.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $68.55.

About Las Vegas Sands

Las Vegas Sands NYSE: LVS is a global developer and operator of integrated resorts, focused on large-scale properties that combine casino gaming with hotels, convention and exhibition facilities, retail, dining, and entertainment. The company's operations center on developing and managing full-service resort complexes that serve both leisure and business travelers, with emphasis on convention and trade-show business in addition to gaming revenue streams.

The company's portfolio has included prominent properties in North America and Asia, most notably The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, along with a significant presence in Macau through multiple integrated resorts.

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