USS Investment Management Ltd Decreases Stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

USS Investment Management Ltd lowered its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) by 24.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 59,736 shares of the casino operator's stock after selling 19,236 shares during the period. USS Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $3,070,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vista Investment Management grew its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Vista Investment Management now owns 41,175 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $2,115,000 after acquiring an additional 892 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter valued at $3,161,000. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter valued at $1,073,000. Steadfast Capital Management LP grew its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 23.5% in the fourth quarter. Steadfast Capital Management LP now owns 1,212,252 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $62,261,000 after purchasing an additional 230,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rafferty Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 35,457 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $1,821,000 after purchasing an additional 2,518 shares during the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Up 4.4%

Shares of LVS stock traded up $1.76 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $41.56. 7,043,715 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,128,611. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35. The firm has a market cap of $29.37 billion, a PE ratio of 21.10, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.99. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 1 year low of $30.18 and a 1 year high of $56.61. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $37.34 and a 200 day moving average of $44.05.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The casino operator reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60 by ($0.01). Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 45.82% and a net margin of 12.80%. The firm had revenue of $2.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.95 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.78 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 6th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.41%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 6th. Las Vegas Sands's payout ratio is currently 55.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LVS has been the topic of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Hsbc Global Res raised Las Vegas Sands to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays lowered their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $58.00 to $53.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $57.00 price objective on Las Vegas Sands and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $56.75.

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.