Gotham Asset Management LLC Sells 54,677 Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Gotham Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) by 90.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,847 shares of the casino operator's stock after selling 54,677 shares during the quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC's holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $300,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 73.5% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 583 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. bought a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. bought a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 45.6% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 760 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE LVS traded down $0.28 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $39.81. The stock had a trading volume of 4,453,294 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,123,948. The firm has a market cap of $28.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.99. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a twelve month low of $30.18 and a twelve month high of $56.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.74. The company's 50 day moving average price is $37.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $44.22.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The casino operator reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $2.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.95 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 45.82% and a net margin of 12.80%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.78 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, April 23rd that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the casino operator to buy up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 6th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 6th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.51%. Las Vegas Sands's payout ratio is presently 55.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $64.50 to $67.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Las Vegas Sands to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $58.00 to $53.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $56.75.

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.