Crestline Management LP Takes $4.88 Million Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Crestline Management LP bought a new position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 82,853 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $4,879,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in VTR. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Ventas in the 4th quarter worth approximately $340,282,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Ventas by 60.8% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,207,553 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $365,563,000 after acquiring an additional 2,347,705 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in shares of Ventas by 1,489.5% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,456,112 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $85,750,000 after acquiring an additional 1,364,504 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Ventas by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 66,501,010 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $3,916,244,000 after purchasing an additional 912,813 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in Ventas by 56.0% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,499,228 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $147,180,000 after purchasing an additional 896,717 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In other Ventas news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total transaction of $243,558.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at $716,373. This trade represents a 25.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 214,679 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.22, for a total value of $14,645,401.38. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,138,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $77,644,115.46. This represents a 15.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 313,888 shares of company stock worth $21,536,515 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

Ventas Stock Performance

VTR opened at $65.88 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $67.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $63.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 346.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.95. Ventas, Inc. has a 12-month low of $46.66 and a 12-month high of $71.36.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.32 billion. Ventas had a net margin of 1.65% and a return on equity of 0.82%. Ventas's quarterly revenue was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.78 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.91%. This is a positive change from Ventas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. Ventas's payout ratio is currently 581.82%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Argus set a $75.00 price target on Ventas in a report on Friday, March 7th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Ventas from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Wedbush increased their price target on shares of Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Baird R W raised shares of Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $72.90.

Ventas Company 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.

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