Morse Asset Management Inc Acquires New Holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 1,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $64,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. First Community Trust NA purchased a new position in Ventas in the second quarter worth $25,000. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new position in Ventas in the second quarter worth $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in Ventas in the second quarter worth $41,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Ventas in the third quarter worth $48,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new position in Ventas in the second quarter worth $51,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at $65,291,063.89. This represents a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total transaction of $389,940.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 90,795 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,900,767.05. This trade represents a 6.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 133,252 shares of company stock worth $8,809,845 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of Ventas stock opened at $62.13 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $64.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $58.36. Ventas, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $41.45 and a fifty-two week high of $67.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.90%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -1,058.76%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com raised shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $64.13.

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.