Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Purchases 342 Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 63.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 885 shares of the casino operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 342 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $45,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 159.6% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 9,130,486 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $459,630,000 after acquiring an additional 5,612,975 shares in the last quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 32.0% in the fourth quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 6,501,382 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $333,911,000 after purchasing an additional 1,577,042 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 13.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 11,662,548 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $598,988,000 after purchasing an additional 1,389,963 shares in the last quarter. Suvretta Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the 3rd quarter worth $24,370,000. Finally, Bamco Inc. NY increased its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 29.2% during the 3rd quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 1,581,075 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $79,591,000 after purchasing an additional 357,234 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Down 1.1 %

NYSE:LVS opened at $44.83 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $45.10 and a 200 day moving average of $47.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 52 week low of $36.62 and a 52 week high of $56.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.76, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.07.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The casino operator reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.58 by ($0.04). Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 45.82%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This is an increase from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on LVS shares. Macquarie upped their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $51.00 to $49.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of 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. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $64.50 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.42.

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.