Poplar Forest Capital LLC Cuts Stock Position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Poplar Forest Capital LLC lessened its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 15.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 427,255 shares of the casino operator’s stock after selling 77,648 shares during the quarter. Las Vegas Sands comprises approximately 3.1% of Poplar Forest Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Poplar Forest Capital LLC’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $21,025,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of LVS. Waldron Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC now owns 12,361 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $608,000 after acquiring an additional 232 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 0.7% during the third quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 47,237 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $2,165,000 after acquiring an additional 306 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp grew its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 1.4% during the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 29,896 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $1,370,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 150.4% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 681 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares during the period. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 12.7% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 3,894 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $192,000 after acquiring an additional 439 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LVS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $66.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $59.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Citigroup upped their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $60.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Las Vegas Sands currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $63.46.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Down 0.4 %

NYSE LVS traded down $0.17 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $45.84. 7,355,006 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,772,131. The business’s 50 day moving average is $51.57 and its 200-day moving average is $49.66. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12-month low of $43.77 and a 12-month high of $65.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.96, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.30.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 17th. The casino operator reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.13. Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 42.34% and a net margin of 13.99%. The firm had revenue of $2.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.28 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 7th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 6th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.65%.

Insider Transactions at Las Vegas Sands

In related news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.06, for a total transaction of $5,206,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 172,801 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,996,020.06. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Las Vegas Sands Company 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.