Ieq Capital LLC Acquires 418,536 Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

Ieq Capital LLC increased its holdings in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 263.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 577,563 shares of the casino operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 418,536 shares during the quarter. Ieq Capital LLC’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $37,594,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of LVS. Wealthfront Advisers LLC grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 40.6% during the 4th quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 67,446 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $4,390,000 after purchasing an additional 19,488 shares during the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd purchased a new stake in Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,051,000. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 411.5% during the 4th quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 44,208 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $2,877,000 after purchasing an additional 35,566 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 2,655.3% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 878,022 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $57,150,000 after purchasing an additional 846,155 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 116.2% during the 4th quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 148,196 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $9,646,000 after purchasing an additional 79,641 shares during the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LVS opened at $50.70 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $52.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $57.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.64. The company has a market cap of $33.60 billion, a PE ratio of 18.78, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.81. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 52-week low of $40.03 and a 52-week high of $70.45.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $3.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.32 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 13.41% and a return on equity of 118.27%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 25.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.59 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 5th were issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 5th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.44%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $69.00 to $62.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $76.75 to $78.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $77.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $67.91.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Patrick Dumont sold 60,165 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.75, for a total value of $3,294,033.75. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 511,942 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,028,824.50. This trade represents a 10.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Las Vegas Sands Company Profile

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) is a global developer and operator of integrated resorts, focused on large-scale properties that combine casino gaming with hotels, convention and exhibition facilities, retail, dining, and entertainment. The company’s operations center on developing and managing full-service resort complexes that serve both leisure and business travelers, with emphasis on convention and trade-show business in addition to gaming revenue streams.

The company’s portfolio has included prominent properties in North America and Asia, most notably The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, along with a significant presence in Macau through multiple integrated resorts.