Davidson Investment Advisors Sells 17,798 Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Davidson Investment Advisors cut its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 6.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 269,822 shares of the casino operator’s stock after selling 17,798 shares during the quarter. Davidson Investment Advisors’ holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $13,858,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Vestor Capital LLC acquired a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Up 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE:LVS opened at $43.38 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $47.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $46.98. The firm has a market cap of $31.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.02, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.90. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 52-week low of $36.62 and a 52-week high of $56.60.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last posted its earnings results 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 43.76%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This is a positive change from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 60,187 shares of Las Vegas Sands stock in a transaction on Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.02, for a total transaction of $3,191,114.74. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.91% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on LVS. Barclays dropped their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $51.00 target price (down from $54.00) on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Mizuho increased their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $52.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $55.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.58.

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.