Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Buys 78,450 Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

Key Points

• Fjarde AP Fonden significantly increased its stake in Las Vegas Sands, buying 78,450 additional shares in the first quarter and lifting its position by 147.8% to 131,513 shares valued at about $7.1 million.
• Las Vegas Sands reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $0.91 versus the $0.76 estimate and revenue of $3.58 billion, up 25.3% year over year.
• The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, and Wall Street remains broadly positive with an average Moderate Buy rating and a consensus price target of $67.28.

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund boosted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) by 147.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 131,513 shares of the casino operator's stock after buying an additional 78,450 shares during the quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund's holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $7,086,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in LVS. Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 40.6% in the 4th quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 67,446 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $4,390,000 after purchasing an additional 19,488 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 411.5% in the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 44,208 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $2,877,000 after acquiring an additional 35,566 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd raised its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 116.2% during the 4th quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 148,196 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $9,646,000 after buying an additional 79,641 shares during the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd purchased a new stake in Las Vegas Sands during the fourth quarter valued at $2,051,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 2,655.3% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 878,022 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $57,150,000 after purchasing an additional 846,155 shares during the period. 39.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

LVS opened at $47.06 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.18 billion, a PE ratio of 17.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.83. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 1 year low of $45.62 and a 1 year high of $70.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.64, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The business's 50-day moving average is $50.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.27.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $3.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.32 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 118.27% and a net margin of 13.41%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 25.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.59 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 5th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 5th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Las Vegas Sands's payout ratio is 44.44%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on LVS. Barclays boosted their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $67.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $76.75 to $78.50 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $77.00 to $73.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $67.28.

Las Vegas Sands Company Profile

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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