Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Increases Stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 51,799 shares of the casino operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,431 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $2,661,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the third quarter worth $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 73.5% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 583 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the third quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 63.0% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 885 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Down 0.0 %

LVS opened at $42.78 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $44.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $47.52. 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 cap of $30.63 billion, a PE ratio of 21.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.07.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The casino operator reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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, research analysts expect 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.34%. This is a positive change from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. Las Vegas Sands’s payout ratio is presently 50.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on LVS shares. Barclays dropped their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of 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. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $51.00 to $49.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Las Vegas Sands currently has a consensus 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.