703 Shares in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) Purchased by Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 703 shares of the casino operator’s stock, valued at approximately $36,000.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in 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 acquiring an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 63.0% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 885 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares during the period. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter worth $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE LVS opened at $39.04 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $27.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.07. 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 Corp. has a 1 year low of $36.62 and a 1 year high of $56.61. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $43.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $47.74.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The casino operator reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.56%. This is an increase from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.76%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LVS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $60.00 to $69.00 in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $64.50 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, 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.