Teacher Retirement System of Texas Buys 29,221 Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 54.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 82,921 shares of the casino operator’s stock after buying an additional 29,221 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $4,460,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Total Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Las Vegas Sands in the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the second quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the second quarter worth about $43,000. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LVS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research lowered Las Vegas Sands from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised Las Vegas Sands from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.12.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

LVS opened at $60.38 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.42, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $64.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.06. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 1 year low of $30.18 and a 1 year high of $70.45. The company has a market capitalization of $40.82 billion, a PE ratio of 27.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.97.

Insider Activity at Las Vegas Sands

In related news, COO Patrick Dumont sold 210,305 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.96, for a total transaction of $14,712,937.80. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 446,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,244,695.68. This trade represents a 32.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP D. Zachary Hudson sold 100,000 shares of Las Vegas Sands stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total transaction of $6,499,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $892,637.65. This trade represents a 87.92% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 4,182,053 shares of company stock worth $274,336,399. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Las Vegas Sands Company 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.