Convergence Investment Partners LLC Takes Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Convergence Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 8,306 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $571,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Ventas in the 4th quarter worth about $340,282,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 60.8% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,207,553 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $365,563,000 after acquiring an additional 2,347,705 shares in the last quarter. Rush Island Management LP lifted its position in Ventas by 130.6% in the 4th quarter. Rush Island Management LP now owns 3,097,830 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $182,431,000 after buying an additional 1,754,494 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in shares of Ventas by 1,489.5% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,456,112 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $85,750,000 after buying an additional 1,364,504 shares during the period. Finally, Zimmer Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter worth $67,719,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ventas

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 14,753 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.60, for a total value of $967,796.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,145,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $75,157,592. This trade represents a 1.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 168,318 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.36, for a total transaction of $11,001,264.48. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 168,364 shares in the company, valued at $11,004,271.04. The trade was a 49.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 343,588 shares of company stock valued at $22,415,190 over the last quarter. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ventas Stock Performance

VTR stock traded down $0.63 during trading on Friday, reaching $66.48. 1,928,877 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,126,319. Ventas, Inc. has a twelve month low of $53.09 and a twelve month high of $71.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The company has a market capitalization of $30.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 201.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.87. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $64.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $64.66.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.32 billion. Ventas had a return on equity of 1.36% and a net margin of 2.80%. Ventas's revenue was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.78 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. Ventas's payout ratio is 581.82%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Ventas from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ventas from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $70.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $72.90.

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.