MQS Management LLC Makes New Investment in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

MQS Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 14,597 shares of the casino operator's stock, valued at approximately $564,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LVS. Optiver Holding B.V. acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Center for Financial Planning Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 1st quarter valued at about $42,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter valued at about $56,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank boosted its position 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 valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 446 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 39.16% of the company's stock.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:LVS opened at $49.81 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.58, a current ratio of 0.59 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.20 billion, a PE ratio of 27.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.03. The firm's 50-day moving average is $42.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.17. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 1 year low of $30.18 and a 1 year high of $56.61.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The casino operator reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60 by ($0.01). Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 44.91% and a net margin of 11.64%. The firm had revenue of $2.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.95 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.78 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, April 23rd that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the casino operator to purchase up to 8.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 6th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 6th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.01%. Las Vegas Sands's payout ratio is 55.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on LVS shares. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Las Vegas Sands to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $47.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $43.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $58.00 to $53.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $55.31.

Las Vegas Sands Company 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.

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