GAMMA Investing LLC Buys New Shares in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 4,525 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $210,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. AE Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Ventas by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 20,466 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $863,000 after purchasing an additional 883 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank raised its stake in shares of Ventas by 48.7% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 70,425 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,967,000 after acquiring an additional 23,067 shares in the last quarter. Presima Securities ULC raised its stake in shares of Ventas by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Presima Securities ULC now owns 32,300 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,361,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its stake in shares of Ventas by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 262,957 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $11,078,000 after acquiring an additional 5,564 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Manning & Napier Group LLC increased its stake in Ventas by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Manning & Napier Group LLC now owns 109,727 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $4,623,000 after purchasing an additional 735 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on VTR shares. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $46.00 price target (down from $52.00) on shares of Ventas in a report on Monday, February 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Ventas in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $60.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America raised shares of Ventas from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $48.00 to $53.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Ventas from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, March 18th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $51.25.

Ventas Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE VTR opened at $43.36 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market cap of $17.52 billion, a PE ratio of -394.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.26. Ventas, Inc. has a one year low of $39.33 and a one year high of $50.99. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $43.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.05.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st were paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.15%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is presently -1,636.21%.

Ventas Company 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.