UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Has $24.82 Million Stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

Key Points

• UniSuper Management Pty Ltd has increased its stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. to $24.82 million, owning approximately 642,617 shares after acquiring additional shares in Q1.
• Analysts have recently adjusted their price targets for Las Vegas Sands, with the average target now set at $59.00 and one analyst issuing a Strong Buy rating.
• Las Vegas Sands reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, with $0.79 earnings per share exceeding estimates of $0.53 and a revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter.

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its holdings in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) by 0.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 642,617 shares of the casino operator's stock after purchasing an additional 5,014 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd owned approximately 0.09% of Las Vegas Sands worth $24,824,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Empirical Finance LLC raised its position in Las Vegas Sands by 4.8% in the first quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 11,686 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $451,000 after purchasing an additional 532 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its position in Las Vegas Sands by 2.6% in the first quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 22,870 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $883,000 after purchasing an additional 569 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its position in Las Vegas Sands by 1.4% in the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 40,250 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $1,554,000 after purchasing an additional 570 shares in the last quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky raised its position in Las Vegas Sands by 2.3% in the first quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 26,848 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $1,037,000 after purchasing an additional 614 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 18.6% during the fourth quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,215 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $268,000 after buying an additional 818 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 39.16% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on LVS. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Las Vegas Sands from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Monday, July 7th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $52.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Argus raised shares of Las Vegas Sands from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 28th. One investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $59.00.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE LVS traded up $0.41 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $54.41. 4,945,149 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,570,954. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $52.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $44.31. The company has a market capitalization of $37.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.04. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12 month low of $30.18 and a 12 month high of $58.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.21.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The casino operator reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.83 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.55 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current 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 paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 5th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Las Vegas Sands's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.51%.

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.