Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Purchases 6,287 Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 231,214 shares of the casino operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,287 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $11,875,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 159.6% during 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 acquiring an additional 5,612,975 shares during the period. ARGA Investment Management LP grew its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 32.0% during the fourth quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 6,501,382 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $333,911,000 after purchasing an additional 1,577,042 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 13.5% during 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 period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,221,000. Finally, Suvretta Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $24,370,000. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on LVS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of 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. Macquarie boosted 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 note on Wednesday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped 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 report on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price 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. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $64.50 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. 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, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.42.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

NYSE:LVS opened at $42.81 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.65 billion, a PE ratio of 21.73, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.07. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $44.93 and its 200 day moving average is $47.56. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $36.62 and a fifty-two 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 posted 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 net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 45.82%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.34%. This is an increase from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.76%.

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.