Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS Stake Raised by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

Key Points

• Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. has increased its stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. by 0.7%, acquiring an additional 15,158 shares, bringing its total holdings to 2,153,220 shares valued at approximately $83.18 million.
• Analysts are maintaining a generally positive outlook on Las Vegas Sands, with the stock currently holding a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a price target of $58.33.
• Las Vegas Sands has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share and authorized a $2 billion stock buyback plan aimed at repurchasing up to 8.2% of its shares, indicating management's confidence in the stock's value.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) by 0.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,153,220 shares of the casino operator's stock after acquiring an additional 15,158 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 0.30% of Las Vegas Sands worth $83,179,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Optiver Holding B.V. acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Center for Financial Planning Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the first quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew 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 worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 856 shares during the period. GeoWealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 104.7% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 1,775 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $91,000 after acquiring an additional 908 shares during the period. Finally, Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 1st quarter worth approximately $127,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 39.16% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on LVS shares. Wall Street Zen raised Las Vegas Sands from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $57.00 price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Argus upgraded shares of Las Vegas Sands from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Las Vegas Sands to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Monday, July 7th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $52.00 price objective on the stock. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $58.33.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

NYSE:LVS traded down $0.33 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $53.33. 1,751,799 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,664,843. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $48.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $42.91. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 52 week low of $30.18 and a 52 week high of $56.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.08.

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

Las Vegas Sands announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, April 23rd that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the casino operator to buy up to 8.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

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

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.