WINTON GROUP Ltd Raises Stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

WINTON GROUP Ltd increased its holdings in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 133.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 63,830 shares of the casino operator’s stock after buying an additional 36,499 shares during the quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $2,777,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 69.3% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 567,101 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $21,907,000 after purchasing an additional 232,091 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,101,190 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $119,799,000 after buying an additional 12,593 shares during the period. Ground Swell Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 1st quarter valued at about $225,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 7.1% in the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 644,286 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $28,033,000 after buying an additional 42,598 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC grew its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 560.4% during the first quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 70,685 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $2,731,000 after acquiring an additional 59,982 shares during the period. 39.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Up 1.1%

LVS stock opened at $67.00 on Tuesday. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 52 week low of $30.18 and a 52 week high of $70.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.42. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $52.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.97.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.16. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 73.14%. The firm had revenue of $3.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.04 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.44 EPS. Las Vegas Sands’s quarterly revenue was up 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 4th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 4th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Las Vegas Sands’s payout ratio is currently 45.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LVS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $59.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Argus lifted their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $65.80.

Insider Transactions at Las Vegas Sands

In other Las Vegas Sands news, CFO Randy Hyzak sold 57,545 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.45, for a total value of $3,823,865.25. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 53,499 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,555,008.55. This trade represents a 51.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.17, for a total transaction of $7,017,000.00. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 2,704,062 shares of company stock valued at $168,024,845. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

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.