Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) Shares Acquired by Mediolanum International Funds Ltd

Key Points

• Mediolanum International Funds Ltd increased its stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp by 27.6% in the first quarter, owning 219,463 shares valued at $8,379,000.
• Las Vegas Sands recently announced a $0.25 quarterly dividend with a yield of 1.91%, and it will also commence a $2.00 billion stock repurchase plan.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" on Las Vegas Sands, with an average target price of $57.50 after several upgrades in price targets from various institutions.

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd raised its position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) by 27.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 219,463 shares of the casino operator's stock after buying an additional 47,457 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd's holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $8,379,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of LVS. Optiver Holding B.V. acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Center for Financial Planning Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 1st quarter worth approximately $42,000. Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 64.1% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,142 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 446 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 133.1% during the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,499 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 856 shares during the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

Shares of LVS traded up $1.13 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $53.47. 1,255,375 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,823,284. The company has a market cap of $36.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.00, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 52-week low of $30.18 and a 52-week high of $56.60. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $44.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $42.15.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The casino operator reported $0.79 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.83 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.55 EPS. Las Vegas Sands's revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 5th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.87%. Las Vegas Sands's dividend payout ratio is presently 50.51%.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on LVS shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $57.00 target price on Las Vegas Sands and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $48.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday. Macquarie upped their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $52.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Barclays upped their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $58.13.

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.