New York State Common Retirement Fund Sells 43,835 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

New York State Common Retirement Fund trimmed its holdings in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 12.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 319,568 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 43,835 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned 0.08% of Ventas worth $15,927,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Gradient Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 82.7% during the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 718 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 151.1% during the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 796 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 479 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ventas during the third quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 73.4% during the fourth quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,408 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 596 shares during the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on VTR. Bank of America upgraded Ventas from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $48.00 to $53.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Ventas in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $60.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com downgraded Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $46.00 price objective (down from $52.00) on shares of Ventas in a report on Monday, February 26th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on Ventas from $53.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $51.25.

Ventas Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of VTR stock traded up $0.67 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $44.68. 1,919,581 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,359,071. Ventas, Inc. has a 1 year low of $39.33 and a 1 year high of $50.99. The stock has a market cap of $18.05 billion, a PE ratio of -399.96, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $43.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $45.11.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 1st were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.03%. Ventas's payout ratio is -1,636.21%.

Ventas 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.