Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Has $6.77 Million Stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. decreased its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 9.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 104,020 shares of the casino operator’s stock after selling 11,102 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $6,771,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Grove Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 48.0% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 512 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 549.5% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 630 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 533 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 182.4% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 672 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 434 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Las Vegas Sands Price Performance

Shares of LVS stock opened at $50.83 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $53.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $58.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.64. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12 month low of $40.03 and a 12 month high of $70.45. The company has a market capitalization of $33.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.81.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.15. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 118.27% and a net margin of 13.41%.The company had revenue of $3.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.32 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.59 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 25.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 5th were given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 5th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LVS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $77.00 to $73.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $76.75 to $78.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.28.

Insider Activity at Las Vegas Sands

In other Las Vegas Sands news, CEO Patrick Dumont sold 60,165 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.75, for a total value of $3,294,033.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 511,942 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,028,824.50. This trade represents a 10.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

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.