Perpetual Ltd Acquires 6,520 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Perpetual Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 76.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 15,010 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 6,520 shares during the quarter. Perpetual Ltd’s holdings in Ventas were worth $884,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its stake in Ventas by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 9,856 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $580,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Ventas by 12.7% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,574 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $152,000 after buying an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. lifted its stake in Ventas by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 277,928 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $16,367,000 after purchasing an additional 1,401 shares during the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Ventas by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,812 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $342,000 after acquiring an additional 725 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 48.0% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,853 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $109,000 after purchasing an additional 601 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Price Performance

NYSE VTR opened at $58.35 on Thursday. Ventas, Inc. has a 12-month low of $41.45 and a 12-month high of $67.61. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $60.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $60.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.48 billion, a PE ratio of -343.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.08%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is -1,058.76%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total transaction of $8,022,980.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,291,063.89. This trade represents a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on VTR. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Robert W. Baird upgraded Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Baird R W raised Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $67.13.

Ventas Profile

Ventas Inc (NYSE: VTR) is a leading S&P 500 real estate investment trust focused on delivering strong, sustainable shareholder returns by enabling exceptional environments that benefit a large and growing aging population. The Company's growth is fueled by its senior housing communities, which provide valuable services to residents and enable them to thrive in supported environments.