U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC Purchases New Position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

Key Points

• U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors opened a new Q4 position in Las Vegas Sands, buying 19,418 shares worth about $1.26 million, as institutional investors now own roughly 39.16% of LVS.
• Q4 results beat estimates: Las Vegas Sands reported $0.85 EPS versus $0.77 expected and revenue of $3.65 billion (up 26% YoY), and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.30 (annualized $1.20, yield 2.2%).
• Insider and analyst activity: CEO Patrick Dumont sold 60,165 shares (~$3.29M), reducing his stake by ~10.5%, while analysts maintain a "Moderate Buy" consensus with an average price target of $68.03.

U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 19,418 shares of the casino operator's stock, valued at approximately $1,264,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 0.3% during the third quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 53,945 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $2,902,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 48.0% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 512 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,449 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $132,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. Alps Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 8,528 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $459,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, United Capital Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Las Vegas Sands by 5.5% during the third quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,945 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $266,000 after buying an additional 258 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 39.16% of the company's stock.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE:LVS opened at $55.54 on Wednesday. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12-month low of $31.60 and a 12-month high of $70.45. 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's 50 day simple moving average is $55.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $58.87. The firm has a market cap of $36.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.74, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.89.

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

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th were paid 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 dividend yield of 2.2%. Las Vegas Sands's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on LVS shares. HSBC boosted their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $67.50 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $75.00 to $72.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $61.00 price target (down from $72.00) on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Seaport Research Partners decreased their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $75.00 to $72.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Argus lowered their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $80.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $68.03.

Insider Activity at Las Vegas Sands

In other news, CEO Patrick Dumont sold 60,165 shares of Las Vegas Sands stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.75, for a total value of $3,294,033.75. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 511,942 shares of the company's stock, valued at $28,028,824.50. The trade was a 10.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Las Vegas Sands Company 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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