UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC Has $98.33 Million Holdings in Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC cut its stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 19.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,545,331 shares of the casino operator’s stock after selling 596,313 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC owned about 0.36% of Las Vegas Sands worth $98,326,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Achmea Investment Management B.V. raised its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 55.4% in the 1st quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 31,411 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $1,213,000 after buying an additional 11,197 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 18.4% during the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 39,005 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $1,489,000 after acquiring an additional 6,057 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 69.3% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 567,101 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $21,907,000 after acquiring an additional 232,091 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Las Vegas Sands by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,101,190 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $119,799,000 after acquiring an additional 12,593 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ground Swell Capital LLC bought a new stake in Las Vegas Sands during the 1st quarter worth approximately $225,000. 39.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

Shares of Las Vegas Sands stock opened at $53.53 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $36.75 billion, a PE ratio of 27.04, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.04. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12 month low of $30.18 and a 12 month high of $58.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.53. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $52.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $44.51.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The casino operator reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.26. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 55.37% and a net margin of 12.16%.The business had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.83 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.55 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 5th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 5th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on LVS shares. Bank of America increased their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $52.50 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Mizuho increased their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 7th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $50.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.47.

About Las Vegas Sands

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.