Mizuho Markets Cayman LP Purchases Shares of 161,800 Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

Key Points

• Mizuho Markets Cayman LP acquired 161,800 shares of Las Vegas Sands in Q3 (about $8.7M), representing roughly 0.4% of its portfolio and the firm's 26th largest holding.
• Other institutions also increased exposure—Allianz Asset Management boosted its stake 358.4% to 227,278 shares and Maple Rock Capital now holds 1,003,880 shares, with institutional/hedge funds owning about 39.2% of LVS.
• Las Vegas Sands posted a Q beat (EPS $0.85 vs. $0.77; revenue $3.65B, +26% y/y), raised its quarterly dividend to $0.30 (2.2% yield), and has a consensus "Moderate Buy" with a $68.55 target price.

Mizuho Markets Cayman LP acquired a new position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 161,800 shares of the casino operator's stock, valued at approximately $8,703,000. Las Vegas Sands comprises approximately 0.4% of Mizuho Markets Cayman LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in LVS. Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 358.4% during the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 227,278 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $12,225,000 after acquiring an additional 177,695 shares during the last quarter. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 124.4% in the 2nd quarter. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,003,880 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $43,679,000 after acquiring an additional 556,440 shares during the last quarter. Donoghue Forlines LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the third quarter worth $2,143,000. National Pension Service acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,262,000. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 78.0% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 102,576 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $5,518,000 after purchasing an additional 44,940 shares during the period. 39.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:LVS opened at $54.20 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.41 billion, a PE ratio of 23.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.88. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 1 year low of $30.18 and a 1 year high of $70.45. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $57.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.88.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The casino operator reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $3.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.33 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 91.40% and a net margin of 12.50%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.54 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were issued a $0.30 dividend. This is a boost from Las Vegas Sands's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Las Vegas Sands's payout ratio is 51.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LVS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $76.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Zacks Research lowered Las Vegas Sands from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $78.00 to $72.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Las Vegas Sands from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $68.55.

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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