GSA Capital Partners LLP Takes $1.52 Million Position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

Key Points

• GSA Capital Partners opened a new position in Las Vegas Sands, buying 23,398 shares worth about $1.52 million in the fourth quarter.
• Las Vegas Sands reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $0.91 versus $0.76 expected and revenue of $3.59 billion, up 25.3% year over year.
• The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, while analysts remain generally positive with an average rating of Moderate Buy and a price target of $68.28.

GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 23,398 shares of the casino operator's stock, valued at approximately $1,523,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in LVS. Grove Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 48.0% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 512 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 549.5% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 630 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 533 shares in the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

LVS stock opened at $49.67 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.64, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.91. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 1 year low of $39.29 and a 1 year high of $70.45. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $53.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.96. The stock has a market cap of $32.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.85.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.15. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 13.41% and a return on equity of 118.27%. The firm had revenue of $3.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.32 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.59 EPS. The company's revenue was up 25.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 5th were given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 5th. Las Vegas Sands's dividend payout ratio is 44.44%.

Insider Transactions at Las Vegas Sands

In other Las Vegas Sands news, CEO Patrick Dumont sold 60,165 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.75, for a total value of $3,294,033.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 511,942 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,028,824.50. This represents a 10.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LVS has been the subject of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $80.00 to $73.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $77.00 to $73.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Las Vegas Sands from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $68.00 to $65.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $68.28.

Las Vegas Sands 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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