Groupama Asset Managment Decreases Position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Groupama Asset Managment trimmed its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 59.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,903 shares of the casino operator’s stock after selling 20,260 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $705,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LVS. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Las Vegas Sands during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 73.5% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 583 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. bought a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 63.0% in the fourth 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. 39.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of Las Vegas Sands stock opened at $39.04 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $43.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $47.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.95 billion, a PE ratio of 19.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.07. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 52-week low of $36.62 and a 52-week high of $56.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.74.

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 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, 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.56%. This is an increase from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on LVS shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $60.00 to $69.00 in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $51.00 to $49.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 24th. Macquarie upped their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.42.

Las Vegas Sands 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.