Mizuho Markets Cayman LP Invests $8.70 Million in Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

Mizuho Markets Cayman LP acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 161,800 shares of the casino operator’s stock, valued at approximately $8,703,000. Las Vegas Sands comprises about 0.4% of Mizuho Markets Cayman LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Total Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 48.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 512 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the third quarter worth $33,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Las Vegas Sands by 549.5% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 630 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 533 shares during the period. Finally, MAI Capital Management increased its position in Las Vegas Sands by 78.4% during the third quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 710 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 312 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Argus dropped their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $80.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $66.00 target price on Las Vegas Sands in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners lowered their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $75.00 to $72.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.55.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

NYSE LVS opened at $54.20 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $36.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.16, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.88. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $57.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $58.88. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a twelve month low of $30.18 and a twelve month high of $70.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.58.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The casino operator reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $3.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.33 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.50% and a return on equity of 91.40%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.54 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This is a boost from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio is 51.28%.

Las Vegas Sands 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.