Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Cuts Stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd trimmed its stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 21.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 41,761 shares of the casino operator’s stock after selling 11,337 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $2,102,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LVS. Wedmont Private Capital acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 1st quarter valued at $202,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 40.2% in the first quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 17,360 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $898,000 after acquiring an additional 4,981 shares during the last quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 6.4% during the first quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 3,308,987 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $171,075,000 after acquiring an additional 198,413 shares during the period. Hengehold Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands during the first quarter worth about $217,000. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 9.6% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 16,075 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $831,000 after purchasing an additional 1,408 shares during the period. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:LVS opened at $51.18 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $38.13 billion, a PE ratio of 24.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $44.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $44.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.29. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12-month low of $36.62 and a 12-month high of $55.65.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The casino operator reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $2.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.46 EPS. Las Vegas Sands’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on LVS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $53.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $51.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $53.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Argus lowered Las Vegas Sands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $57.42.

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.