Ventas, Inc. $VTR Shares Acquired by Cohen & Steers Inc.

Key Points

• Cohen & Steers Inc. sharply increased its Ventas stake by 228.1% in the fourth quarter, ending with 4.61 million shares worth about $356.4 million. The filing highlights continued heavy institutional interest in the healthcare REIT.
• Several other major investors also added to or initiated positions in Ventas, and 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. That suggests the shares remain a popular institutional holding.
• Wall Street sentiment is generally positive: analysts have an average “Moderate Buy” rating with a $95.19 price target, while Ventas recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.52 per share, implying a 2.5% yield.

Cohen & Steers Inc. boosted its position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 228.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,606,355 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 3,202,323 shares during the period. Cohen & Steers Inc. owned about 0.97% of Ventas worth $356,440,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of VTR. Capital World Investors purchased a new position in Ventas in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $594,116,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Ventas in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $474,571,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in Ventas by 188.7% in the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 4,705,591 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $364,119,000 after purchasing an additional 3,075,450 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Ventas by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 75,948,003 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $5,876,856,000 after purchasing an additional 2,349,176 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG increased its stake in Ventas by 142.4% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 3,507,841 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $245,514,000 after purchasing an additional 2,060,770 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 1,152 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.20, for a total value of $103,910.40. Following the transaction, the director owned 28,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,557,079.80. This trade represents a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Michael J. Embler bought 2,500 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $78.81 per share, for a total transaction of $197,025.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 19,202 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,513,309.62. The trade was a 14.97% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VTR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Ventas from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 1st. UBS Group raised their price objective on Ventas from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Citigroup raised their price target on Ventas from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $95.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target on Ventas from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $95.19.

Ventas Price Performance

VTR stock opened at $84.58 on Friday. Ventas, Inc. has a 52-week low of $61.76 and a 52-week high of $91.06. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $85.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $82.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 153.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.71.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.12 by ($0.01). Ventas had a return on equity of 2.09% and a net margin of 4.25%.The business had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.84 EPS. Ventas's revenue for the quarter was up 22.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Ventas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.820-3.890 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.88 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Ventas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 378.18%.

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.

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