Van ECK Associates Corp Increases Stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 43.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 102,518 shares of the casino operator’s stock after buying an additional 30,861 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $5,045,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the third quarter valued at $29,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 150.4% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 681 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. CNB Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. 39.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.06, for a total transaction of $5,206,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 172,801 shares in the company, valued at $8,996,020.06. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Up 0.5 %

LVS opened at $46.87 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.64, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $50.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $49.62. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a twelve month low of $43.77 and a twelve month high of $63.51. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 17th. The casino operator reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.13. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 13.99% and a return on equity of 42.34%. The business had revenue of $2.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.28 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 34.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 6th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.71%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.65%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays cut 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, April 18th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. StockNews.com upgraded Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $63.46.

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.