ING Groep NV Invests $4.25 Million in Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

Key Points

• ING Groep NV opened a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the fourth quarter, buying 65,220 shares worth about $4.25 million.
• Institutional interest in LVS remains high, with several other large investors increasing holdings and 39.16% of the stock now owned by hedge funds and other institutions.
• Las Vegas Sands reported better-than-expected quarterly results, including EPS of $0.91 versus $0.76 expected and revenue growth of 25.3% year over year; the company also paid a $0.30 quarterly dividend, yielding about 2.4%.

ING Groep NV acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 65,220 shares of the casino operator's stock, valued at approximately $4,245,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 358.4% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 227,278 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $12,225,000 after buying an additional 177,695 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 40.6% in the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 67,446 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $4,390,000 after buying an additional 19,488 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,051,000. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in 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 valued at $2,877,000 after buying an additional 35,566 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 2,655.3% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 878,022 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $57,150,000 after buying an additional 846,155 shares during the period. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Las Vegas Sands

In other Las Vegas Sands news, CEO Patrick Dumont sold 60,165 shares of the 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 511,942 shares of the company's stock, valued at $28,028,824.50. This trade represents a 10.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:LVS opened at $50.80 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.64. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 52-week low of $40.03 and a 52-week high of $70.45. The company has a 50 day moving average of $52.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $57.72. The company has a market capitalization of $33.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.81.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $3.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.32 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.59 earnings per share. Las Vegas Sands's revenue for the quarter was up 25.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on LVS. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Seaport Research Partners cut their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $72.00 to $69.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $77.00 to $73.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. HSBC raised their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $67.91.

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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