Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Acquires 15,158 Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 0.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,153,220 shares of the casino operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,158 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 0.30% of Las Vegas Sands worth $83,179,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Optiver Holding B.V. bought a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Center for Financial Planning Inc. bought a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the first quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 133.1% during the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,499 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 856 shares during the period. GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 104.7% during the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 1,775 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 908 shares during the period. Finally, Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the first quarter valued at approximately $127,000. Institutional investors own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a report on Monday, July 7th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $52.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $52.50 to $58.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $58.33.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LVS opened at $54.36 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $47.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $42.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The stock has a market cap of $37.32 billion, a PE ratio of 27.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.08. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 1 year low of $30.18 and a 1 year high of $56.60.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The casino operator reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.83 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.16% and a return on equity of 55.37%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.55 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 5th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 5th. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.51%.

Las Vegas Sands declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, April 23rd that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the casino operator to purchase up to 8.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Las Vegas Sands Company Profile

Las Vegas Sands Corp., together with its subsidiaries, develops, owns, and operates integrated resorts in Macao and Singapore. It owns and operates The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel, the Londoner Macao, The Parisian Macao, The Plaza Macao and Four Seasons Hotel Macao, Cotai Strip, and the Sands Macao in Macao, the People’s Republic of China; and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.