United Capital Financial Advisors LLC Invests $1.19 Million in Ventas, Inc. $VTR

United Capital Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 13,340 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $1,185,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Equitable Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in Ventas in the 2nd quarter valued at $374,000. Brasada Capital Management LP bought a new position in Ventas during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,502,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Ventas during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,281,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in Ventas in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $61,492,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $442,000. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Michael J. Embler acquired 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $78.81 per share, for a total transaction of $197,025.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 19,202 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,513,309.62. This represents a 14.97% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Trading Down 1.2%

Ventas stock opened at $91.78 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.44. The stock has a market cap of $47.08 billion, a PE ratio of 169.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $92.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $87.57. Ventas, Inc. has a one year low of $66.38 and a one year high of $101.60.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.68 billion. Ventas had a net margin of 4.08% and a return on equity of 1.99%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.87 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VTR has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Ventas from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Ventas in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $94.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Ventas from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Ventas from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Ventas from $93.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $98.00.

Ventas Profile

Ventas, Inc (NYSE: VTR) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that specializes in healthcare-related real estate. The company acquires, owns and manages a diversified portfolio of properties serving the healthcare continuum, including senior housing communities, skilled nursing facilities, medical office buildings, life science and research centers, and other properties leased to healthcare providers and operators. Ventas generates revenue through long-term leases, property management and selective development activities focused on meeting the real estate needs of the healthcare sector.

Ventas’ business model combines property ownership with active asset management and capital markets activity.