Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS Shares Acquired by Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund increased its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 147.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 131,513 shares of the casino operator’s stock after buying an additional 78,450 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $7,086,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LVS. Grove Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA acquired a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 254.8% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 557 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on LVS shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Citigroup upped their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $76.75 to $78.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $67.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $67.28.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

LVS opened at $47.06 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.18 billion, a PE ratio of 17.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.64, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.92. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $50.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $55.27. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 1 year low of $45.62 and a 1 year high of $70.45.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $3.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.32 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 118.27% and a net margin of 13.41%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 25.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.59 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 5th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 5th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.44%.

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.