DnB Asset Management AS Boosts Stock Position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

DnB Asset Management AS raised its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 722,854 shares of the casino operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 29,972 shares during the quarter. DnB Asset Management AS owned 0.10% of Las Vegas Sands worth $37,126,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its position in Las Vegas Sands by 1.7% during the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 35,187 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $1,771,000 after acquiring an additional 573 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 5,062 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 12.5% in the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 49,368 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $2,485,000 after purchasing an additional 5,495 shares during the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP lifted its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 33.9% in the third quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 356,761 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $17,959,000 after purchasing an additional 90,285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the third quarter valued at approximately $282,000. 39.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on LVS shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Macquarie boosted their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $51.00 to $49.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 24th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $60.00 to $69.00 in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Citigroup lifted 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.42.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

NYSE:LVS opened at $40.35 on Friday. 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 company has a 50 day moving average price of $43.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $47.71. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 1-year low of $36.62 and a 1-year high of $56.61. The firm has a market cap of $28.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.07.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last released 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The firm 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 a positive change from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.76%.

Las Vegas Sands 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.