Waycross Partners LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Waycross Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 37.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 55,000 shares of the casino operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,000 shares during the quarter. Waycross Partners LLC’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $2,707,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 652,220 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $29,898,000 after buying an additional 30,500 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 182.9% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 698,686 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $34,264,000 after acquiring an additional 451,710 shares during the period. DNB Asset Management AS raised its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 50.4% in the 4th quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 672,905 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $33,114,000 after acquiring an additional 225,351 shares during the period. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 15.6% in the 3rd quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 10,195 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $467,000 after acquiring an additional 1,379 shares during the period. Finally, AM Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,076,000. 39.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

LVS traded down $1.39 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $44.36. The stock had a trading volume of 6,238,944 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,802,739. The company has a market cap of $33.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a fifty day moving average of $50.82 and a 200 day moving average of $49.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.30. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 1 year low of $43.77 and a 1 year high of $65.58.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 17th. The casino operator reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $2.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 42.34% and a net margin of 13.99%. Las Vegas Sands’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.28 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 6th. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.65%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on LVS. Barclays lowered their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Citigroup upped their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $59.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $63.46.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.06, for a total transaction of $5,206,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 172,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,996,020.06. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

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.