Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) Shares Sold by Continental Advisors LLC

Continental Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 18.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 70,325 shares of the casino operator’s stock after selling 15,500 shares during the quarter. Las Vegas Sands makes up 1.7% of Continental Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Continental Advisors LLC’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $3,612,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LVS. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 32.2% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 32,948 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $1,707,000 after acquiring an additional 8,032 shares during the last quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP grew its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 32.0% during the 4th quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 6,501,382 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $333,911,000 after buying an additional 1,577,042 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 13,810,351 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $709,300,000 after buying an additional 160,711 shares during the last quarter. Polymer Capital Management HK LTD purchased a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter worth $2,311,000. Finally, World Equity Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 82.9% in the fourth quarter. World Equity Group Inc. now owns 25,602 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $1,315,000 after acquiring an additional 11,602 shares during the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

Shares of Las Vegas Sands stock opened at $32.58 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market cap of $23.02 billion, a PE ratio of 16.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.99. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 1 year low of $30.18 and a 1 year high of $56.61. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $39.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.29.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The casino operator reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.58 by ($0.04). Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 45.82% and a net margin of 12.80%. Equities analysts forecast 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. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.07%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This is an increase from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.76%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays cut 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. 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 research note on Thursday, January 30th. Macquarie raised their target price 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.08.

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.