Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Position Increased by Adelante Capital Management LLC

Adelante Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 140.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 522,956 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 305,089 shares during the period. Ventas comprises approximately 2.0% of Adelante Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Adelante Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.12% of Ventas worth $30,796,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Utah Retirement Systems lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Utah Retirement Systems now owns 69,438 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $4,089,000 after acquiring an additional 2,800 shares in the last quarter. Soros Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,390,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 27.1% in the 4th quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 129,021 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $7,598,000 after acquiring an additional 27,499 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 69.9% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 411,527 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $24,198,000 after acquiring an additional 169,262 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 60.8% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,207,553 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $365,563,000 after acquiring an additional 2,347,705 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ventas Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VTR opened at $69.12 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $67.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $63.87. Ventas, Inc. has a twelve month low of $43.64 and a twelve month high of $71.36. The company has a market cap of $30.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 363.81, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.02. 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, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a return on equity of 0.82% and a net margin of 1.65%. Research analysts predict that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This is a boost from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.78%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 1,010.53%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VTR. Mizuho increased their price objective on Ventas from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Baird R W upgraded Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Ventas from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Argus set a $75.00 target price on Ventas in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Ventas from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $72.90.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 388 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $80,098,153. This trade represents a 0.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total value of $243,558.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $716,373. This represents a 25.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 304,778 shares of company stock valued at $20,934,891. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

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.