Inceptionr LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Inceptionr LLC lifted its stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 240.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 30,309 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 21,415 shares during the period. Inceptionr LLC’s holdings in Ventas were worth $1,785,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ventas news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total transaction of $243,558.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $716,373. This represents a 25.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 388 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.00, for a total value of $27,548.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,128,143 shares in the company, valued at $80,098,153. This represents a 0.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 260,227 shares of company stock worth $17,769,097. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wedbush upped their target price on Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Robert W. Baird raised Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $66.00 to $65.00 in a report on Friday, January 17th. Mizuho cut their price objective on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Ventas from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ventas has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $71.14.

Ventas Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of VTR opened at $70.50 on Thursday. Ventas, Inc. has a 52 week low of $41.45 and a 52 week high of $71.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The company has a market capitalization of $30.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 371.07, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.37. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $61.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $62.51.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last issued its earnings results 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.72%. This is an increase from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.