Axa S.A. Lowers Stock Position in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Axa S.A. trimmed its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 0.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 360,390 shares of the casino operator’s stock after selling 622 shares during the period. Axa S.A.’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $15,947,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Bank & Trust Co acquired a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the second quarter worth $29,000. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 93.2% during the 2nd quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 906 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 437 shares during the period. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the 1st quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 54.8% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,008 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 357 shares during the period. 39.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LVS opened at $51.12 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $40.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $44.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.29, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The company has a market cap of $38.09 billion, a PE ratio of 24.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.11. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12 month low of $36.62 and a 12 month high of $55.65.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The casino operator reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.01). Las Vegas Sands had a return on equity of 44.41% and a net margin of 14.08%. The firm had revenue of $2.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.46 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 6th were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 6th. Las Vegas Sands’s payout ratio is 38.65%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on LVS shares. Macquarie dropped their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $58.00 to $56.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Argus downgraded Las Vegas Sands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $65.00 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. StockNews.com cut Las Vegas Sands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $58.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Las Vegas Sands has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $55.25.

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.