Geode Capital Management LLC Sells 53,527 Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

Geode Capital Management LLC decreased its position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,301,257 shares of the casino operator’s stock after selling 53,527 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $538,300,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of LVS. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 410.2% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 5,167,553 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $277,963,000 after purchasing an additional 4,154,753 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 33,102.6% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 3,060,288 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $197,463,000 after purchasing an additional 3,051,071 shares during the period. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 43.8% in the third quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 5,454,013 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $293,371,000 after purchasing an additional 1,660,823 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 64.5% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,819,128 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $151,641,000 after purchasing an additional 1,105,630 shares during the period. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 4,504.2% in the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,028,808 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $55,340,000 after purchasing an additional 1,006,463 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Las Vegas Sands

In other news, CEO Patrick Dumont sold 60,165 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 511,942 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,028,824.50. This represents a 10.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Down 1.3%

Las Vegas Sands stock opened at $50.46 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $53.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $58.39. 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 firm has a market cap of $33.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.85. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a twelve month low of $40.03 and a twelve month high of $70.45.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last posted 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 during 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%.Las Vegas Sands’s revenue was up 25.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.59 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 5th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 5th. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.44%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on LVS shares. Citigroup boosted their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $76.75 to $78.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $65.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Weiss Ratings lowered Las Vegas Sands from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday. HSBC boosted their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $68.28.

About Las Vegas Sands

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.