Clough Capital Partners L P Decreases Stock Holdings in Las Vegas Sands Corp. $LVS

Clough Capital Partners L P lowered its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 17.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 362,002 shares of the casino operator’s stock after selling 75,170 shares during the period. Las Vegas Sands comprises 2.1% of Clough Capital Partners L P’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Clough Capital Partners L P owned 0.05% of Las Vegas Sands worth $23,563,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Grove Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA purchased a new position in shares of Las Vegas Sands in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 549.5% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 630 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Las Vegas Sands Trading Down 1.6%

NYSE LVS opened at $48.15 on Thursday. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12 month low of $40.94 and a 12 month high of $70.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.64, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The company has a market capitalization of $31.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.81. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $52.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $56.94.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.15. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 13.41% and a return on equity of 118.27%. The company had revenue of $3.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.32 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.59 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Las Vegas Sands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 5th were given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 5th. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on LVS shares. Seaport Research Partners decreased their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $72.00 to $69.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Las Vegas Sands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $67.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Las Vegas Sands presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $67.91.

About Las Vegas Sands

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.