Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Grows Stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 60.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 116,957 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 43,951 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund's holdings in Ventas were worth $5,829,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VTR. AE Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Ventas by 4.5% in the third quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 20,466 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $863,000 after purchasing an additional 883 shares during the last quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 421.7% during the 3rd quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 986 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 797 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank grew its stake in shares of Ventas by 48.7% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 70,425 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,967,000 after acquiring an additional 23,067 shares during the period. Presima Securities ULC increased its holdings in Ventas by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Presima Securities ULC now owns 32,300 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,361,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its stake in Ventas by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 262,957 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $11,078,000 after acquiring an additional 5,564 shares during the period. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Ventas in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. They set a "buy" rating and a $60.00 target price for the company. Mizuho increased their target price on Ventas from $53.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. StockNews.com cut Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Evercore ISI upgraded Ventas from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $50.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $46.00 target price (down previously from $52.00) on shares of Ventas in a research note on Monday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $51.54.

Ventas Price Performance

Ventas stock traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $43.61. 1,487,731 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,385,605. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.51. Ventas, Inc. has a one year low of $39.33 and a one year high of $50.99. The stock has a market cap of $17.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -396.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.26. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $43.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $45.07.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 1st were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.13%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 28th. Ventas's dividend payout ratio is currently -1,636.21%.

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.