MML Investors Services LLC Acquires 1,336 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

MML Investors Services LLC grew its holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 6.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 21,312 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,336 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC’s holdings in Ventas were worth $1,255,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. bought a new stake in Ventas during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in Ventas by 66.2% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 527 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Promus Capital LLC bought a new stake in Ventas during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Ventas during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in Ventas by 1,039.4% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 809 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 738 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In related news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $716,373. The trade was a 25.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 44,551 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.06, for a total value of $3,165,794.06. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,145,695 shares in the company, valued at $81,413,086.70. This represents a 3.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 304,778 shares of company stock worth $20,934,891 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on VTR. StockNews.com upgraded Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Argus set a $75.00 target price on Ventas in a report on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Ventas from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Wedbush lifted their target price on Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Ventas from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ventas presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $72.90.

Ventas Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:VTR opened at $70.04 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Ventas, Inc. has a 1 year low of $43.64 and a 1 year high of $71.36. The business’s 50-day moving average is $67.70 and its 200-day moving average is $63.92. The company has a market capitalization of $30.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 368.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.02.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.32 billion. Ventas had a net margin of 1.65% and a return on equity of 0.82%. Ventas’s revenue was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.78 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.74%. This is a boost from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. Ventas’s payout ratio is presently 1,010.53%.

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.