ARGA Investment Management LP Raises Holdings in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

ARGA Investment Management LP increased its stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) by 12.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,342,577 shares of the casino operator's stock after acquiring an additional 841,195 shares during the quarter. Las Vegas Sands comprises 9.5% of ARGA Investment Management LP's holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. ARGA Investment Management LP owned about 1.04% of Las Vegas Sands worth $283,644,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Achmea Investment Management B.V. boosted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 55.4% during the 1st quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 31,411 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $1,213,000 after purchasing an additional 11,197 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 18.4% during the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 39,005 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $1,489,000 after buying an additional 6,057 shares in the last quarter. Polymer Capital Management HK LTD acquired a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,311,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,088,597 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $158,630,000 after buying an additional 339,992 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 63.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 885 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:LVS traded down $0.71 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $49.81. 3,400,948 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,866,697. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $42.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $42.24. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12-month low of $30.18 and a 12-month high of $56.61. The stock has a market cap of $35.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.58.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The casino operator reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.60 by ($0.01). Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 44.91%. The company had revenue of $2.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.78 earnings per share. Las Vegas Sands's revenue was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 6th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 6th. Las Vegas Sands's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 55.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on LVS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Monday. They set a "neutral" rating and a $52.00 target price on the stock. Macquarie cut their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $58.00 to $52.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group upped their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $43.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned 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 a consensus target price of $55.31.

About Las Vegas Sands

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.