World Equity Group Inc. Acquires 2,800 Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

World Equity Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 25.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,000 shares of the casino operator’s stock after buying an additional 2,800 shares during the quarter. World Equity Group Inc.’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $705,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vestor Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands during the third quarter worth $43,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 3.3% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 78,267 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $3,940,000 after acquiring an additional 2,496 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 99.2% in the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 42,197 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $2,124,000 after acquiring an additional 21,012 shares during the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its position in Las Vegas Sands by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 688,547 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $34,661,000 after purchasing an additional 33,273 shares during the period. Finally, United Asset Strategies Inc. bought a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $296,000. 39.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Las Vegas Sands

In related news, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 119,221 shares of Las Vegas Sands stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.73, for a total transaction of $6,405,744.33. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 84,511 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,540,776.03. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.91% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Down 0.3 %

LVS traded down $0.14 on Monday, hitting $51.59. The company had a trading volume of 428,292 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,746,266. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $46.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $44.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12-month low of $36.62 and a 12-month high of $55.65. The company has a market cap of $37.40 billion, a PE ratio of 25.61, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.11.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The casino operator reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.09). Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 13.29% and a return on equity of 44.26%. The firm had revenue of $2.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.79 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.55 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.35 EPS for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 4th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.55%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on LVS. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $55.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. UBS Group cut shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $70.00 to $49.00 in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $57.92.

About Las Vegas Sands

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.