Man Group plc Buys New Position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

Man Group plc purchased a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 325,735 shares of the casino operator’s stock, valued at approximately $15,046,000. Man Group plc owned approximately 0.05% of Las Vegas Sands at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA bought a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 182.4% during the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 672 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 434 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 254.8% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 557 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. 39.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $63.00 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Mizuho decreased their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $67.00 to $61.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. UBS Group set a $52.00 price target on Las Vegas Sands in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, HC Wainwright cut Las Vegas Sands to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.88.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Down 4.6%

Shares of LVS stock opened at $44.12 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.27. The firm has a market cap of $28.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.17, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a 50 day moving average of $46.48 and a 200-day moving average of $51.06. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12-month low of $43.92 and a 12-month high of $70.45.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last announced 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). Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.59% and a return on equity of 133.90%. The firm had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.31 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.66 earnings per share. Las Vegas Sands’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 3.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 4th were issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 4th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.69%.

Las Vegas Sands Profile

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.