Franklin Resources Inc. Has $1.68 Million Stock Holdings in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS)

Franklin Resources Inc. lowered its stake in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) by 71.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,721 shares of the casino operator’s stock after selling 83,082 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $1,681,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MML Investors Services LLC raised its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 12,210 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $615,000 after purchasing an additional 743 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its position in Las Vegas Sands by 62.2% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 22,082 shares of the casino operator’s stock worth $1,106,000 after acquiring an additional 8,466 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,953,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 33.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 548,072 shares of the casino operator’s stock valued at $27,590,000 after purchasing an additional 136,859 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 39.16% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LVS has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $64.50 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $61.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Macquarie upped their price target on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Las Vegas Sands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $60.00 to $69.00 in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Las Vegas Sands from $60.00 to $59.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.42.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Performance

LVS opened at $32.12 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $40.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $46.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.99. 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 $30.18 and a 12-month high of $56.61.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) last posted its quarterly 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 return on equity of 45.82% and a net margin of 12.80%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This is a boost from Las Vegas Sands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.11%. Las Vegas Sands’s dividend payout ratio is 50.76%.

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.