Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Takes Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 787,391 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $46,369,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.18% of Ventas at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Employees Retirement System of Texas boosted its position in shares of Ventas by 21.4% during the 4th quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas now owns 257,899 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $15,188,000 after purchasing an additional 45,500 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Ventas during the fourth quarter worth approximately $313,000. Integrated Advisors Network LLC grew its position in Ventas by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 5,536 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 426 shares during the last quarter. Ascent Group LLC acquired a new position in Ventas in the fourth quarter worth approximately $367,000. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Ventas by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 501,361 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $29,525,000 after buying an additional 25,366 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 41,294 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.08, for a total value of $2,852,589.52. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,138,143 shares in the company, valued at $78,622,918.44. The trade was a 3.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 1,459 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.76, for a total transaction of $93,025.84. Following the transaction, the director now owns 27,454 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,750,467.04. This trade represents a 5.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 166,394 shares of company stock valued at $11,235,529. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ventas Stock Up 1.5%

VTR stock opened at $65.09 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $66.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $63.94. The company has a market cap of $29.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 342.57, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.95. Ventas, Inc. has a 12-month low of $46.66 and a 12-month high of $71.36. 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 (NYSE:VTR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.32 billion. Ventas had a return on equity of 0.82% and a net margin of 1.65%. Ventas’s quarterly revenue was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.78 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.95%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is 581.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VTR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Scotiabank lifted 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. Argus set a $75.00 price objective on Ventas in a report on Friday, March 7th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Ventas from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Ventas from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Ventas from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $73.00.

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.