Strs Ohio Decreases Stock Holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Strs Ohio lowered its holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 1.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,476,917 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 24,104 shares during the period. Strs Ohio owned approximately 0.37% of Ventas worth $73,609,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of VTR. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ventas by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 13,395 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $827,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ventas by 6.0% during the 1st quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 4,387 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $271,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ventas by 14.6% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,954 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. Capital Square LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ventas by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Square LLC now owns 10,569 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $456,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ventas by 23.7% during the 3rd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,360 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on VTR. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Ventas in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. They set a "buy" rating and a $60.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI raised shares of Ventas from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $50.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 18th. Bank of America raised shares of Ventas from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $48.00 to $53.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Ventas from $53.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $46.00 price target (down previously from $52.00) on shares of Ventas in a report on Monday, February 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $51.54.

Ventas Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:VTR traded down $0.34 on Friday, hitting $42.83. The company had a trading volume of 1,880,836 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,504,398. Ventas, Inc. has a 1 year low of $39.33 and a 1 year high of $50.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -389.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.26. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $43.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $44.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 18th. Investors of record on Monday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.20%. Ventas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -1,636.36%.

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.