GAMMA Investing LLC Acquires 676,482 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 8,151.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 684,781 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 676,482 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC owned approximately 0.16% of Ventas worth $47,086,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VTR. Franchise Capital Ltd bought a new position in shares of Ventas during the 1st quarter worth $32,000. Promus Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ventas during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ventas by 1,039.4% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 809 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 738 shares in the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in Ventas in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, State of Wyoming increased its stake in Ventas by 32.5% in the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 975 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on VTR. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Ventas from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Wedbush boosted their target price on Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Ventas from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Mizuho upped their price target on Ventas from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $73.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Carey S. Roberts sold 23,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,492,429.50. This represents a 16.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 9,110 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.04, for a total value of $601,624.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,145,695 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $75,661,697.80. The trade was a 0.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 165,586 shares of company stock worth $10,997,929. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ventas Stock Performance

VTR traded up $0.09 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $63.27. The company had a trading volume of 3,445,365 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,763,203. 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $66.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $63.93. The company has a market cap of $28.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 333.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.95. Ventas, Inc. has a 1 year low of $49.06 and a 1 year high of $71.36.

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

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. Ventas's dividend payout ratio is currently 581.82%.

About Ventas

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.