Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) Shares Sold by Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lessened its stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 35.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,155 shares of the casino operator’s stock after selling 629 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $51,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Marathon Trading Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $841,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 4.3% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 620,611 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $27,453,000 after acquiring an additional 25,560 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 6.8% in the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 23,709 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $1,049,000 after acquiring an additional 1,502 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 13.6% in the second quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 9,250 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $409,000 after acquiring an additional 1,107 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amalgamated Bank grew its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 2.4% in the second quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 77,226 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $3,417,000 after acquiring an additional 1,795 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LVS opened at $51.12 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $40.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $44.46. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a one year low of $36.62 and a one year high of $55.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.29, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.70, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.11.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The casino operator reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.01). Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 44.41% and a net margin of 14.08%. The firm had revenue of $2.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.46 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.45 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 6th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 6th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.65%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LVS has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $52.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $58.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Susquehanna dropped their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $59.00 to $51.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Argus downgraded shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $55.25.

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.