Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Shares Acquired by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. significantly increased its stake in Ventas, Inc. by 606.2% in Q1, culminating in ownership of 37,500 shares valued at approximately $2.58 million.
• Ventas reported $1.42 billion in revenue for the latest quarter, surpassing analyst expectations, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.48, equating to a 2.8% yield.
• Analysts have mixed views on Ventas, with ratings ranging from sell to strong buy, and the consensus price target is set at $72.90.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 606.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 37,500 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 32,190 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Ventas were worth $2,578,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VTR. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in 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 during the last quarter. Rush Island Management LP increased its holdings 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 valued at $182,431,000 after acquiring an additional 1,754,494 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in Ventas by 1,489.5% in 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 acquiring an additional 1,364,504 shares during the last quarter. Zimmer Partners LP bought a new stake in Ventas in the 4th quarter valued at $67,719,000. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in Ventas by 1,196.0% in the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,166,840 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $68,737,000 after acquiring an additional 1,076,803 shares during the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ventas Trading Up 0.1%

Ventas stock traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $68.58. The company had a trading volume of 76,670 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,110,695. The firm has a market cap of $31.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 159.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.68. Ventas, Inc. has a 1 year low of $56.68 and a 1 year high of $71.36. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $64.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $65.24.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.37 billion. Ventas had a net margin of 3.61% and a return on equity of 1.75%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 18.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.80 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th were given a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. Ventas's dividend payout ratio is presently 446.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VTR has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Ventas from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ventas from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $72.00 in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ventas presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $72.90.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In other news, EVP Carey S. Roberts sold 23,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.23, for a total value of $1,509,405.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 116,650 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,492,429.50. This represents a 16.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 29,691 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.49, for a total transaction of $2,033,536.59. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 168,364 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,531,250.36. The trade was a 14.99% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 378,391 shares of company stock valued at $24,809,760. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

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.