Saudi Central Bank Increases Stake in Ventas, Inc. $VTR

Key Points

• Saudi Central Bank increased its Ventas stake by 92% in the second quarter, ending with 33,282 shares valued at approximately $2.96 million. Institutional investors collectively own 94.18% of Ventas shares.
• Analyst sentiment is favorable, with 14 Buy ratings and three Holds producing a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $99.
• Ventas exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting adjusted EPS of $0.97 versus a $0.96 consensus estimate and revenue of $1.73 billion, up 21.7% year over year.

Saudi Central Bank boosted its holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 92.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,282 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 15,944 shares during the period. Saudi Central Bank's holdings in Ventas were worth $2,955,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Ventas by 856.1% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 7,926 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $545,000 after acquiring an additional 7,097 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ventas by 6.8% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 8,373 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $576,000 after purchasing an additional 536 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of Ventas by 46.8% in the first 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 increased its stake in shares of Ventas by 130.4% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 21,613 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,486,000 after buying an additional 12,233 shares during the period. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new stake in Ventas during the 2nd quarter valued at $805,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Ventas from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Barclays upped their price target on Ventas from $99.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Raymond James Financial began coverage on Ventas in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $94.00 price objective on the stock. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Ventas from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 target price on shares of Ventas in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $99.00.

Ventas Stock Performance

Ventas stock opened at $90.27 on Tuesday. Ventas, Inc. has a twelve month low of $66.38 and a twelve month high of $101.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The company has a market capitalization of $46.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 167.17, a PEG ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.70. The stock's 50 day moving average is $92.96 and its 200 day moving average is $87.86.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.01. Ventas had a net margin of 4.08% and a return on equity of 1.99%. The business had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.87 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 21.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Ventas

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.

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