DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main Sells 38,500 Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main decreased its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS - Free Report) by 3.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 939,820 shares of the casino operator's stock after selling 38,500 shares during the period. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main owned approximately 0.13% of Las Vegas Sands worth $48,269,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 73.5% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 583 shares of the casino operator's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. bought a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors own 39.16% of the company's stock.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:LVS traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $42.40. The company had a trading volume of 2,021,924 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,124,664. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $37.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $44.77. The company has a market capitalization of $29.96 billion, a PE ratio of 21.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.99. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 52 week low of $30.18 and a 52 week high of $56.61.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The casino operator reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $2.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.95 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.78 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 6th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 6th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.36%. Las Vegas Sands's dividend payout ratio is presently 55.56%.

Las Vegas Sands declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 23rd that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the casino operator to reacquire up to 8.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on LVS. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Mizuho set a $47.00 price target on Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $56.75.

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.