Candriam S.C.A. Boosts Stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Candriam S.C.A. increased its stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 8.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 25,146 shares of the casino operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,890 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $1,291,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LVS. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 97.2% in the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 89,743 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $4,518,000 after purchasing an additional 44,223 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 32.2% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 32,948 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $1,707,000 after buying an additional 8,032 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 1.4% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 5,627,422 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $283,284,000 after buying an additional 77,807 shares in the last quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 32.0% during 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 acquiring an additional 1,577,042 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 33.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 548,072 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $27,590,000 after acquiring an additional 136,859 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Macquarie upped their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $60.00 to $69.00 in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Las Vegas Sands currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.42.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Down 0.9 %

NYSE:LVS opened at $44.99 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $45.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $47.53. The stock has a market cap of $32.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12 month low of $36.62 and a 12 month high of $56.61.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The casino operator reported $0.54 earnings per share 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%. Equities analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This is an increase from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.22%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio is 50.76%.

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.