Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Boosts Stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

Key Points

• Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 79.9%, bringing their total to 31,214 shares valued at approximately $1.5 million.
• Analysts have generally upgraded their outlook on Las Vegas Sands, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $59.80.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, indicating an annualized yield of 1.8% and a payout ratio of 50.51%.

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) by 79.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,214 shares of the casino operator's stock after acquiring an additional 13,860 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $1,505,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of LVS. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 37.5% in the 2nd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 876 shares of the casino operator's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares in the last quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the first quarter valued at about $42,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 133.1% during the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,499 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 856 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 27.4% during the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,272 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 488 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the first quarter valued at about $127,000. Institutional investors own 39.16% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on LVS shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Las Vegas Sands from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, September 7th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $52.50 to $58.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Monday, July 7th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $52.00 price target for the company. Susquehanna decreased their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $59.00 to $58.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Macquarie increased their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $52.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Las Vegas Sands has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $59.80.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Up 2.3%

Las Vegas Sands stock opened at $55.26 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $37.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.04. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 52 week low of $30.18 and a 52 week high of $58.05. The business's 50-day moving average price is $53.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The casino operator reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.83 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 55.37% and a net margin of 12.16%.Las Vegas Sands's revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.55 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 5th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 5th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Las Vegas Sands's dividend payout ratio 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LVS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.