Schroder Investment Management Group Lowers Stock Position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Schroder Investment Management Group decreased its holdings in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 36.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 926,396 shares of the casino operator’s stock after selling 537,328 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $46,968,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LVS. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 159.6% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 9,130,486 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $459,630,000 after buying an additional 5,612,975 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $216,571,000. ARGA Investment Management LP lifted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 32.0% during the 4th quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 6,501,382 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $333,911,000 after acquiring an additional 1,577,042 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 13.5% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 11,662,548 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $598,988,000 after purchasing an additional 1,389,963 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,221,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE:LVS opened at $38.64 on Tuesday. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 52-week low of $36.62 and a 52-week high of $56.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $43.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $47.81. The company has a market capitalization of $27.66 billion, a PE ratio of 19.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.07.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The casino operator reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by ($0.04). Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 45.82% and a net margin of 12.80%. On average, equities research analysts expect 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This is an increase from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.59%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.76%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on LVS. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $51.00 to $49.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $64.50 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays dropped their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.42.

About Las Vegas Sands

Las Vegas Sands Corp., together with its subsidiaries, develops, owns, and operates integrated resorts in Macao and Singapore. It owns and operates The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel, the Londoner Macao, The Parisian Macao, The Plaza Macao and Four Seasons Hotel Macao, Cotai Strip, and the Sands Macao in Macao, the People’s Republic of China; and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.