Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Shares Bought by Virtus Investment Advisers Inc.

Virtus Investment Advisers Inc. lifted its position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 100.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,800 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 3,900 shares during the quarter. Virtus Investment Advisers Inc.'s holdings in Ventas were worth $459,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Promus Capital LLC acquired a new position in Ventas in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Ventas by 1,039.4% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 809 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares during the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in Ventas in the 4th quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, State of Wyoming boosted its stake in shares of Ventas by 32.5% in the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 975 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 239 shares during the period. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ventas Stock Performance

Ventas stock traded up $0.06 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $63.68. 2,578,929 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,750,021. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.74 billion, a PE ratio of 335.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.95. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $66.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $63.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. Ventas, Inc. has a one year low of $46.66 and a one year high of $71.36.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.32 billion. Ventas had a return on equity of 0.82% and a net margin of 1.65%. The company'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 business earned $0.78 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. Ventas's payout ratio is currently 581.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Argus set a $75.00 price target on Ventas in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Ventas from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Ventas from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their target price on Ventas from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $73.00.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 44,551 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.06, for a total value of $3,165,794.06. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,145,695 shares of the company's stock, valued at $81,413,086.70. This represents a 3.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 1,459 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 27,454 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,750,467.04. The trade was a 5.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 311,481 shares of company stock worth $21,385,983. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Ventas Company Profile

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.