California State Teachers Retirement System Buys 11,390 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

California State Teachers Retirement System increased its position in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 552,207 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 11,390 shares during the quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.13% of Ventas worth $32,519,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Promus Capital LLC bought a new stake in Ventas in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Ventas in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in Ventas by 1,039.4% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 809 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 738 shares during the period. Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in Ventas in the fourth quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, State of Wyoming raised its position in Ventas by 32.5% in the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 975 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares during the period. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on VTR shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Ventas from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Ventas from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Wedbush lifted their price objective on shares of Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $73.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 1,459 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.76, for a total value of $93,025.84. Following the transaction, the director now owns 27,454 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,750,467.04. This represents a 5.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Carey S. Roberts sold 23,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.23, for a total transaction of $1,509,405.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 116,650 shares in the company, valued at $7,492,429.50. The trade was a 16.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 165,974 shares of company stock valued at $11,025,477. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VTR traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $64.25. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,071,918 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,768,862. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $66.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $63.93. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 338.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.95. Ventas, Inc. has a one year low of $49.04 and a one year high of $71.36.

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

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. Ventas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 581.82%.

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.