Wealthfront Advisers LLC Raises Stock Position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

Key Points

• Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 40.6% in Q4 to 67,446 shares (worth $4.39M), while several other institutions (notably SG Americas and Nordea) also significantly grew positions, leaving about 39.16% of the stock held by institutions.
• Las Vegas Sands beat quarterly expectations with $0.91 EPS vs. $0.76 expected and $3.59 billion in revenue (up 25.3% year-over-year), and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share (2.2% yield, ex-dividend May 5).
• Analysts have trimmed some price targets but the consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average target of $68.28, compared with the stock trading in the mid-$50s.

Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) by 40.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 67,446 shares of the casino operator's stock after buying an additional 19,488 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC's holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $4,390,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 358.4% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 227,278 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $12,225,000 after purchasing an additional 177,695 shares during the last quarter. Donoghue Forlines LLC acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the third quarter valued at $2,143,000. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 2,655.3% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 878,022 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $57,150,000 after purchasing an additional 846,155 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC grew its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 293.5% in the third quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 27,061 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $1,456,000 after purchasing an additional 20,184 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 99.5% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 934,927 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $60,901,000 after purchasing an additional 466,330 shares during the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on LVS shares. Argus lowered their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $80.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $68.00 to $65.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $80.00 to $73.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $76.75 to $78.50 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given 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 $68.28.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

NYSE LVS opened at $54.65 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $54.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $58.99. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a twelve month low of $36.60 and a twelve month high of $70.45. The company has a market capitalization of $36.21 billion, a PE ratio of 20.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.64.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.15. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 118.27% and a net margin of 13.41%.The firm had revenue of $3.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.32 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.59 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 25.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 3.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 5th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 5th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Las Vegas Sands's dividend payout ratio is 44.44%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Patrick Dumont sold 60,165 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.75, for a total transaction of $3,294,033.75. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 511,942 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,028,824.50. This represents a 10.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Las Vegas Sands 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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