OPTIMAS CAPITAL Ltd Raises Stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

OPTIMAS CAPITAL Ltd grew its holdings in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 277,964 shares of the casino operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,364 shares during the quarter. Las Vegas Sands accounts for 9.5% of OPTIMAS CAPITAL Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. OPTIMAS CAPITAL Ltd’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $14,952,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. lifted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 124.4% in the 2nd quarter. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,003,880 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $43,679,000 after acquiring an additional 556,440 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 7.1% in the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 644,286 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $28,033,000 after purchasing an additional 42,598 shares in the last quarter. Donoghue Forlines LLC acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the third quarter valued at $2,143,000. CWM LLC lifted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 78.0% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 102,576 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $5,518,000 after purchasing an additional 44,940 shares during the period. Finally, National Pension Service acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands during the third quarter worth $1,262,000. Institutional investors own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Las Vegas Sands

In other Las Vegas Sands news, EVP D. Zachary Hudson sold 53,257 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.37, for a total value of $3,747,695.09. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $966,531.95. This trade represents a 79.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Randy Hyzak sold 57,545 shares of Las Vegas Sands stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.45, for a total value of $3,823,865.25. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 53,499 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,555,008.55. This trade represents a 51.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 3,082,053 shares of company stock worth $207,130,199 over the last ninety days. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

Las Vegas Sands stock opened at $57.83 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $62.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.42. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12-month low of $30.18 and a 12-month high of $70.45.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The casino operator reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.08. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.50% and a return on equity of 87.01%. The firm had revenue of $3.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.54 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 18th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th will be given a $0.30 dividend. This is a boost from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio is presently 51.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on LVS. Argus dropped their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $80.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $76.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Macquarie Infrastructure restated an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Las Vegas Sands from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Las Vegas Sands currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $68.61.

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.