Long Focus Capital Management LLC Purchases 35,000 Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

Key Points

• Long Focus Capital Management LLC has increased its stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. by 13.1%, now holding 303,000 shares valued at approximately $11.7 million.
• Analysts have recently adjusted their price targets for LVS, with the average target now set at $59.00, reflecting a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."
• Las Vegas Sands announced a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, translating to an annualized dividend of $1.00 and a yield of 1.7%.

Long Focus Capital Management LLC raised its position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) by 13.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 303,000 shares of the casino operator's stock after purchasing an additional 35,000 shares during the period. Long Focus Capital Management LLC's holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $11,705,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LVS. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 55.7% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 14,218,581 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $730,295,000 after purchasing an additional 5,088,095 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the first quarter valued at approximately $183,836,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 5.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,249,208 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $1,593,457,000 after purchasing an additional 2,267,307 shares in the last quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP increased its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 12.9% in the first quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 7,342,577 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $283,644,000 after purchasing an additional 841,195 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 9.1% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 9,442,798 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $364,775,000 after purchasing an additional 790,952 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 39.16% of the company's stock.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Down 2.9%

LVS traded down $1.67 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $55.35. 5,905,418 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,583,391. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 1-year low of $30.18 and a 1-year high of $58.05. The stock's 50-day moving average is $51.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $43.95. The stock has a market cap of $37.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.95, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.04. 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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.26. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.16% and a return on equity of 55.37%. The firm had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.83 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.55 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 5th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 5th. Las Vegas Sands's dividend payout ratio is 50.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on LVS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Las Vegas Sands from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Las Vegas Sands from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, July 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $59.00.

About Las Vegas Sands

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.