Russell Investments Group Ltd. Acquires 460,647 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 28.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,083,146 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 460,647 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.52% of Ventas worth $104,010,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VTR. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 542,819 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $27,054,000 after buying an additional 4,643 shares in the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 10,584 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $528,000 after buying an additional 295 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter worth $210,000. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 60.2% during the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 116,957 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $5,829,000 after buying an additional 43,951 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OLD National Bancorp IN acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter worth $6,046,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ventas Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of Ventas stock traded up $0.64 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $44.00. The company had a trading volume of 1,899,133 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,923,069. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $43.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $45.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.51 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market cap of $17.78 billion, a PE ratio of -400.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.26. Ventas, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $39.33 and a fifty-two week high of $50.99.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st were paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.09%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 28th. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,636.36%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VTR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Mizuho boosted their price target on Ventas from $53.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. StockNews.com cut Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $46.00 target price (down previously from $52.00) on shares of Ventas in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Ventas in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $60.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Ventas from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $48.00 to $53.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $51.25.

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.