Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Purchases Shares of 781,809 Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 781,809 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $46,041,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio owned about 0.18% of Ventas at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in VTR. PharVision Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ventas in the 4th quarter valued at about $278,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in Ventas by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,318,338 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $254,307,000 after purchasing an additional 386,321 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Ventas by 91.6% in the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 983,231 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $57,902,000 after purchasing an additional 470,143 shares in the last quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ventas in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $210,000. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Ventas during the 4th quarter worth approximately $16,097,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company's stock.

Ventas Price Performance

Shares of Ventas stock traded down $0.71 on Wednesday, reaching $64.34. The stock had a trading volume of 2,889,098 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,760,212. The business's 50 day moving average is $66.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $63.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. Ventas, Inc. has a 1 year low of $46.66 and a 1 year high of $71.36. The company has a market cap of $29.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 338.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.95.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.32 billion. Ventas had a net margin of 1.65% and a return on equity of 0.82%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.78 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.98%. Ventas's dividend payout ratio is currently 581.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Ventas from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Wedbush lifted their price objective on shares of Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Ventas from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $73.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ventas news, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 1,459 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 27,454 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,750,467.04. The trade was a 5.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 69,592 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.59, for a total transaction of $4,494,947.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 168,364 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,874,630.76. This trade represents a 29.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 166,394 shares of company stock worth $11,235,529 in the last ninety days. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.