Zimmer Partners LP Takes $67.72 Million Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Zimmer Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 1,149,931 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $67,719,000. Ventas comprises approximately 1.2% of Zimmer Partners LP's holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Zimmer Partners LP owned 0.27% of Ventas at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Ventas Stock Down 0.3%

VTR opened at $65.45 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The stock has a market cap of $29.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 344.49, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.95. Ventas, Inc. has a twelve month low of $46.66 and a twelve month high of $71.36. The company's 50-day moving average price is $66.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $63.94.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.32 billion. Ventas had a net margin of 1.65% and a return on equity of 0.82%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.78 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be given a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.93%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. Ventas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 581.82%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on VTR shares. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Ventas from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Ventas from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Argus set a $75.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Ventas from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ventas has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $73.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 1,459 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now owns 27,454 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,750,467.04. The trade was a 5.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 388 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.00, for a total transaction of $27,548.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,128,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,098,153. This trade represents a 0.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 311,481 shares of company stock valued at $21,385,983 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

About Ventas

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.

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