Forsta AP Fonden Raises Holdings in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Key Points

• Forsta AP Fonden increased its position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. by 3.2%, bringing its total holdings to 201,200 shares valued at approximately $7.77 million.
• Las Vegas Sands recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, which translates to a yield of 1.9%, amidst a dividend payout ratio of 50.51%.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed ratings on Las Vegas Sands, with 11 buy ratings, 5 hold ratings, and a consensus price target of $58.33.

Forsta AP Fonden lifted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) by 3.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 201,200 shares of the casino operator's stock after purchasing an additional 6,300 shares during the quarter. Forsta AP Fonden's holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $7,772,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in LVS. Achmea Investment Management B.V. grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 55.4% during the first quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 31,411 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $1,213,000 after buying an additional 11,197 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 18.4% during the first 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. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 12.4% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Optimize Financial Inc purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the fourth quarter worth about $682,000. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 8.9% during the first quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 150,120 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $5,799,000 after buying an additional 12,251 shares in the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:LVS traded up $0.81 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $53.83. The stock had a trading volume of 5,300,494 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,133,846. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12 month low of $30.18 and a 12 month high of $56.60. The company has a market capitalization of $36.95 billion, a PE ratio of 27.19, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.08. The firm's fifty day moving average is $47.30 and its 200 day moving average is $42.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The casino operator reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.26. The company 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.55 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, April 23rd that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the casino operator to reacquire up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 5th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 5th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Las Vegas Sands's dividend payout ratio is presently 50.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on LVS shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $57.00 target price on Las Vegas Sands and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Susquehanna cut their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $59.00 to $58.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Las Vegas Sands from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $52.50 to $58.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Las Vegas Sands currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $58.33.

Las Vegas Sands Company 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.