Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Sells 18,226 Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lessened its position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 9.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 183,826 shares of the casino operator’s stock after selling 18,226 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $9,441,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $282,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 224,927 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $11,323,000 after purchasing an additional 7,638 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 2.2% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,659,427 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $133,876,000 after purchasing an additional 57,739 shares during the last quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P lifted its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 3.0% during the third quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 41,081 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $2,068,000 after purchasing an additional 1,192 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fred Alger Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the third quarter valued at $10,219,000. Institutional investors own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LVS opened at $38.15 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $27.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.07. 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 simple moving average is $43.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $47.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last released 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 45.82%. Research analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.62%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This is an increase from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.76%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on LVS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Jefferies Financial Group raised 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.