ARGA Investment Management LP Has $237.23 Million Stock Holdings in Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

ARGA Investment Management LP lessened its position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 56.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,410,249 shares of the casino operator’s stock after selling 5,630,726 shares during the period. Las Vegas Sands makes up 6.3% of ARGA Investment Management LP’s holdings, making the stock its 5th largest position. ARGA Investment Management LP owned about 0.65% of Las Vegas Sands worth $237,227,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 124.4% during the second quarter. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,003,880 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $43,679,000 after acquiring an additional 556,440 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 7.1% in the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 644,286 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $28,033,000 after purchasing an additional 42,598 shares during the period. Donoghue Forlines LLC purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,143,000. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,254,000. Finally, CWM LLC raised its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 78.0% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 102,576 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $5,518,000 after purchasing an additional 44,940 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

NYSE LVS opened at $59.93 on Friday. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $30.18 and a fifty-two week high of $70.45. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $64.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $57.79. The firm has a market cap of $40.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.42, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.16. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 73.14% and a net margin of 12.69%.The business had revenue of $3.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.44 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on LVS. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Argus raised their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Barclays upped their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $70.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Las Vegas Sands presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.12.

Insider Activity at Las Vegas Sands

In related news, COO Patrick Dumont sold 210,305 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.96, for a total value of $14,712,937.80. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 446,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,244,695.68. This trade represents a 32.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 1,198,650 shares of Las Vegas Sands stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.68, for a total transaction of $79,925,982.00. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 5,182,053 shares of company stock worth $333,348,399. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

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.