First Trust Advisors LP Grows Stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) by 49.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 550,902 shares of the casino operator's stock after acquiring an additional 183,097 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.08% of Las Vegas Sands worth $29,683,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 8.4% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 31,251 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $1,207,000 after purchasing an additional 2,418 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP increased its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 38.9% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 29,032 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $1,122,000 after buying an additional 8,132 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Las Vegas Sands by 91.8% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,146 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $93,000 after acquiring an additional 1,027 shares during the period. Flow Traders U.S. LLC purchased a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 2nd quarter worth $414,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 70.0% during the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 17,595 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $766,000 after acquiring an additional 7,243 shares during the period. 39.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of Las Vegas Sands stock opened at $48.26 on Wednesday. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $44.21 and a fifty-two week high of $70.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.27, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.00. The company has a market capitalization of $31.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a fifty day moving average of $48.15 and a 200 day moving average of $52.93.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.76 by ($0.17). Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.59% and a return on equity of 133.90%. The business had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.66 earnings per share. Las Vegas Sands's revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 4th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 4th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Las Vegas Sands's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LVS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and issued a $62.00 price objective (down from $73.00) on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $63.00 to $55.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $64.00 to $60.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Barclays reduced their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $63.00 to $59.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $61.88.

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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