Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Buys Shares of 78,637 Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 78,637 shares of the casino operator’s stock, valued at approximately $3,632,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 222.7% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 9,098,518 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $592,223,000 after purchasing an additional 6,279,390 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 8,582,962 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $462,450,000 after buying an additional 396,705 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 18.7% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 7,893,031 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $513,757,000 after acquiring an additional 1,246,206 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the fourth quarter worth approximately $364,892,000. Finally, Bamco Inc. NY bought a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the second quarter valued at approximately $174,796,000. Institutional investors own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

Shares of Las Vegas Sands stock opened at $44.54 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.27. The company has a market cap of $28.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.33, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.83. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $46.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $50.61. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 52-week low of $43.36 and a 52-week high of $70.45.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by ($0.17). The firm had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.31 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.59% and a return on equity of 133.90%. The company’s revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.66 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 3.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 4th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 4th. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on LVS shares. Zacks Research cut Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $65.00 to $53.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $67.00 to $61.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $62.00 price target (down from $73.00) on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $61.88.

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.