HighTower Advisors LLC Sells 34,360 Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

HighTower Advisors LLC lessened its stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 50.3% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 33,974 shares of the casino operator’s stock after selling 34,360 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $1,569,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA bought a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 254.8% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 557 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management boosted its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 1,208.0% in the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 654 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 604 shares in the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

LVS stock opened at $46.21 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $29.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.98, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $47.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $51.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.27, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.00. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 52-week low of $44.21 and a 52-week high of $70.45.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.17). The business had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.31 billion. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 133.90% and a net margin of 12.59%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.66 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 3.09 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 4th were given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 4th. Las Vegas Sands’s payout ratio is 46.69%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. HSBC lifted their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $62.00 price target (down from $73.00) on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $67.00 to $61.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.88.

About Las Vegas Sands

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) is a global developer and operator of integrated resorts, focused on large-scale properties that combine casino gaming with hotels, convention and exhibition facilities, retail, dining, and entertainment. The company’s operations center on developing and managing full-service resort complexes that serve both leisure and business travelers, with emphasis on convention and trade-show business in addition to gaming revenue streams.

The company’s portfolio has included prominent properties in North America and Asia, most notably The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, along with a significant presence in Macau through multiple integrated resorts.