Vanguard Group Inc. Acquires 2,349,176 Shares of Ventas, Inc. $VTR

Key Points

• Vanguard Group increased its stake by 3.2%, buying 2,349,176 shares to hold 75,948,003 shares—about 16.17% of Ventas, valued at roughly $5.88 billion.
• Analysts are broadly positive: 13 Buy vs. 3 Hold ratings, a consensus of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $90.47, with several firms recently raising targets.
• Operationally mixed — Ventas missed quarterly EPS ($0.15 vs. $0.89) despite y/y revenue growth, set FY2026 guidance of $3.78–$3.88 EPS, and raised the quarterly dividend to $0.52 (annualized $2.08, 2.5% yield) while reporting a high payout ratio of 385%.

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 75,948,003 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 2,349,176 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 16.17% of Ventas worth $5,876,856,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sava Infond d.o.o. lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. Sava Infond d.o.o. now owns 47,885 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $3,705,000 after purchasing an additional 5,450 shares in the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter valued at about $285,000. Copeland Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter valued at about $238,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 44.6% during the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,913 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $148,000 after purchasing an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 26.4% during the fourth quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,032 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $389,000 after purchasing an additional 1,051 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Ventas from $87.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Ventas from $88.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Ventas from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Ventas in a report on Friday, March 27th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ventas presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $90.47.

Ventas Stock Performance

NYSE VTR opened at $83.75 on Monday. Ventas, Inc. has a 52-week low of $61.76 and a 52-week high of $88.36. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $84.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $39.82 billion, a PE ratio of 155.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.75.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by ($0.74). Ventas had a return on equity of 2.09% and a net margin of 4.31%.The company had revenue of ($1,229.71) million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.81 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 21.7% on a year-over-year basis. 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Ventas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Ventas's dividend payout ratio is 385.19%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 10,322 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.66, for a total value of $801,606.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,114,034 shares in the company, valued at $86,515,880.44. This trade represents a 0.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Carey S. Roberts sold 35,532 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 72,755 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,184,175. The trade was a 32.81% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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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