Capital Research Global Investors Sells 17,808,593 Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

Capital Research Global Investors decreased its holdings in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 52.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,232,863 shares of the casino operator’s stock after selling 17,808,593 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors’ holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $1,056,597,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of LVS. Grove Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 48.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 512 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 549.5% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 630 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 533 shares during the period. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 182.4% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 672 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 434 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Las Vegas Sands news, CEO Patrick Dumont sold 60,165 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.75, for a total transaction of $3,294,033.75. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 511,942 shares in the company, valued at $28,028,824.50. This trade represents a 10.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LVS opened at $50.30 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $33.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.64. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 1-year low of $40.03 and a 1-year high of $70.45. The business’s 50 day moving average is $52.87 and its 200-day moving average is $57.87.

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

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 5th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 44.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on LVS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $77.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. HSBC upped their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $68.00 to $65.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $67.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Las Vegas Sands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 23rd. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Las Vegas Sands currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $67.91.

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.