Ventas, Inc. $VTR Stock: Candriam S.C.A. Grows Position

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. increased its Ventas position by 381.9% in the third quarter, to 224,474 shares valued at about $19.2 million; institutional investors own 94.18% of the stock.
• Ventas reported quarterly EPS of $0.13, missing the $0.98 consensus estimate, while revenue of $1.83 billion topped forecasts and rose 23% year over year.
• Analysts gave Ventas a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $99.41. The company’s quarterly dividend was $0.52 per share, equivalent to a 2.3% yield.

Candriam S.C.A. increased its holdings in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 381.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 224,474 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 177,891 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Ventas were worth $19,155,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VTR. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the second quarter valued at about $4,953,439,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Ventas by 3.6% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,190,594 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $588,045,000 after buying an additional 253,019 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in shares of Ventas during the second quarter worth about $501,850,000. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in shares of Ventas during the second quarter worth about $451,822,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ventas by 5.5% during the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,981,404 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $442,349,000 after buying an additional 258,859 shares during the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of VTR stock opened at $88.69 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $46.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 167.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.77. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $86.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $86.70. Ventas, Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.82 and a 12-month high of $101.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.98 by ($0.85). Ventas had a net margin of 3.86% and a return on equity of 1.86%. The business had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.77 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.88 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 23.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.89 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th were issued a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Ventas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 392.45%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VTR has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Ventas from $98.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Evercore set a $100.00 price objective on Ventas and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their target price on Ventas from $102.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Ventas from $104.00 to $96.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 19th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane boosted their target price on Ventas from $93.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ventas presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $99.41.

About Ventas

Ventas, Inc is a real estate investment trust focused on properties and services that support the health care and senior living sectors. Its portfolio includes senior housing communities, outpatient medical buildings, and research and life science facilities.

The company owns and invests in properties across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Many of its communities and facilities are operated by health care and senior living providers, while Ventas provides real estate capital and asset management.

Ventas was established in 1998 and is headquartered in Chicago.

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