M&T Bank Corp Buys 297,787 Shares of Ventas, Inc. $VTR

Key Points

• M&T Bank Corp boosted its stake in Ventas by 786.4%, purchasing 297,787 shares in Q4 to hold 335,654 shares worth about $25.97 million (≈0.07% of the company).
• Company insiders have been selling: EVP Carey S. Roberts sold 35,532 shares at $85 and CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 10,322 shares at $77.66, leaving insiders with roughly 0.53% ownership.
• Analysts show a positive tilt with a consensus "Moderate Buy" and a target around $90.47; Ventas raised its quarterly dividend to $0.52 ($2.08 annual, 2.6% yield) even after a quarterly EPS miss ( $0.15 vs. est. $0.89) and set FY2026 guidance of 3.78–3.88 EPS.

M&T Bank Corp lifted its stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 786.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 335,654 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 297,787 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp owned 0.07% of Ventas worth $25,973,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in VTR. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Ventas by 856.1% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 7,926 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $545,000 after purchasing an additional 7,097 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Ventas by 6.8% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 8,373 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $576,000 after purchasing an additional 536 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP boosted its position in shares of Ventas by 46.8% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 36,826 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,532,000 after purchasing an additional 11,739 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of Ventas by 130.4% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 21,613 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,486,000 after purchasing an additional 12,233 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new position in shares of Ventas in the 2nd quarter worth $805,000. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ventas

In related news, EVP Carey S. Roberts sold 35,532 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.00, for a total transaction of $3,020,220.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 72,755 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,184,175. This trade represents a 32.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 10,322 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.66, for a total value of $801,606.52. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,114,034 shares in the company, valued at $86,515,880.44. The trade was a 0.92% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. KeyCorp raised their price target on Ventas from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $93.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Ventas from $88.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $90.00 price target on Ventas in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $90.47.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of Ventas stock opened at $80.02 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $38.05 billion, a PE ratio of 148.18, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.75. Ventas, Inc. has a 12 month low of $61.76 and a 12 month high of $88.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $84.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $79.38.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.89 by ($0.74). The business had revenue of ($1,229.71) million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. Ventas had a return on equity of 2.09% and a net margin of 4.31%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 21.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.81 EPS. Ventas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.780-3.880 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.85 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. This is a boost from Ventas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Ventas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 385.19%.

Ventas Company Profile

Ventas, Inc NYSE: VTR is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that specializes in healthcare-related real estate. The company acquires, owns and manages a diversified portfolio of properties serving the healthcare continuum, including senior housing communities, skilled nursing facilities, medical office buildings, life science and research centers, and other properties leased to healthcare providers and operators. Ventas generates revenue through long-term leases, property management and selective development activities focused on meeting the real estate needs of the healthcare sector.

Ventas' business model combines property ownership with active asset management and capital markets activity.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VTR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.