Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Raises Position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 11.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 575,663 shares of the casino operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 59,675 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.08% of Las Vegas Sands worth $29,025,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of LVS. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 6,505 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $334,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 45.6% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 760 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake 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 buying an additional 247 shares during the period. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 5,595 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $287,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC grew its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 10,200 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $521,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Down 5.4 %

Shares of NYSE:LVS opened at $38.15 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market cap of $27.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.07. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 1-year low of $36.62 and a 1-year high of $56.61. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $43.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $47.81.

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

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.62%. This is a positive change from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Las Vegas Sands’s payout ratio is presently 50.76%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LVS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $60.00 to $69.00 in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Citigroup increased their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $64.50 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on 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. Finally, Macquarie increased their price target 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.42.

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.