Factory Mutual Insurance Co. Reduces Position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

Factory Mutual Insurance Co. reduced its position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 20.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 439,600 shares of the casino operator’s stock after selling 115,000 shares during the quarter. Factory Mutual Insurance Co. owned 0.07% of Las Vegas Sands worth $23,646,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LVS. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 358.4% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 227,278 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $12,225,000 after purchasing an additional 177,695 shares in the last quarter. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. raised its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 124.4% in the second quarter. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,003,880 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $43,679,000 after buying an additional 556,440 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 7.1% during the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 644,286 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $28,033,000 after buying an additional 42,598 shares during the period. Donoghue Forlines LLC bought a new stake in Las Vegas Sands during the 3rd quarter valued at $2,143,000. Finally, National Pension Service purchased a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,262,000. Institutional investors own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Las Vegas Sands Stock Down 1.3%

NYSE:LVS opened at $58.09 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.58. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a twelve month low of $30.18 and a twelve month high of $70.45. The company has a market cap of $39.03 billion, a PE ratio of 24.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.93. The company’s 50 day moving average is $61.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.72.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The casino operator reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.08. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.50% and a return on equity of 91.40%. The business had revenue of $3.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.54 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. This is a boost from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on LVS shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Monday, December 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $80.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $78.00 to $72.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Argus decreased their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $80.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.55.

Las Vegas Sands Profile

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.