World Equity Group Inc. Has $1.32 Million Holdings in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

World Equity Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 82.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 25,602 shares of the casino operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,602 shares during the quarter. World Equity Group Inc.’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $1,315,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 73.5% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 583 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Vestor Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. 39.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LVS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $51.00 target price (down previously from $54.00) on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Macquarie upped their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.58.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Down 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE:LVS opened at $44.00 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $31.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.35. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12 month low of $36.62 and a 12 month high of $56.60. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $46.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $47.12.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The casino operator reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.58 by ($0.04). Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 45.82%. As a group, research analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This is a positive change from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.76%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 60,187 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.02, for a total value of $3,191,114.74. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.

Las Vegas Sands Profile

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.