National Pension Service Buys Shares of 23,464 Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

National Pension Service bought a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 23,464 shares of the casino operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,262,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Total Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Las Vegas Sands during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the second quarter worth about $41,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the second quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the second quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Las Vegas Sands

In related news, COO Patrick Dumont sold 210,305 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.96, for a total transaction of $14,712,937.80. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 446,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,244,695.68. This trade represents a 32.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 3,542,053 shares of company stock valued at $236,327,199. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of NYSE:LVS opened at $56.87 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.45 billion, a PE ratio of 24.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.42, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.89. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 52-week low of $30.18 and a 52-week high of $70.45. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $63.45 and a 200 day moving average of $58.28.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The casino operator reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.08. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 87.01% and a net margin of 12.50%.The firm had revenue of $3.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.54 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. This is an increase from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.74%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on LVS shares. Zacks Research cut shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $75.50 to $76.75 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Argus dropped their price objective on 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. HSBC upped their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $67.50 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $80.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.