Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Grows Stock Position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its holdings in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 150,249 shares of the casino operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 874 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $7,717,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 73.5% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 583 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 63.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 885 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 342 shares during the period. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Las Vegas Sands during the fourth quarter valued at about $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

Las Vegas Sands stock opened at $36.43 on Friday. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 52 week low of $35.56 and a 52 week high of $56.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35. The stock has a market cap of $26.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $43.08 and a 200-day moving average of $47.66.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The casino operator reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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, analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.75%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This is an increase from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $60.00 to $69.00 in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $64.50 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Macquarie upped their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.42.

Las Vegas Sands Company Profile

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.