Presima Securities ULC Grows Stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Presima Securities ULC lifted its stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 38.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 439,942 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 121,193 shares during the quarter. Ventas makes up 6.4% of Presima Securities ULC’s holdings, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Presima Securities ULC’s holdings in Ventas were worth $25,908,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VTR. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 4th quarter valued at about $67,000. Inspire Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ventas by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 41,176 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,425,000 after purchasing an additional 576 shares in the last quarter. Roberts Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Ventas by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Roberts Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 72,465 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $4,207,000 after acquiring an additional 652 shares in the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Ventas by 11.9% during the 4th quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,695 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 499 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Perpetual Ltd raised its stake in shares of Ventas by 76.8% in the fourth quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 15,010 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $884,000 after acquiring an additional 6,520 shares during the period. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total transaction of $8,022,980.16. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at $65,291,063.89. This represents a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VTR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Baird R W upgraded Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com raised Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.13.

Ventas Price Performance

VTR opened at $60.75 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $60.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $60.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Ventas, Inc. has a 12 month low of $41.45 and a 12 month high of $67.61.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.96%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is presently -1,058.76%.

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.