Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Buys 43,303 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 795,475 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 43,303 shares during the quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. owned about 0.19% of Ventas worth $46,846,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avestar Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ventas during the 4th quarter valued at $295,000. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of Ventas by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 190,776 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $11,235,000 after purchasing an additional 1,814 shares during the period. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Ventas during the 4th quarter worth about $1,327,000. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ventas by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 12,300 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $724,000 after buying an additional 999 shares during the period. Finally, Savant Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas in the 4th quarter valued at about $232,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on VTR shares. Robert W. Baird upgraded Ventas from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $66.00 to $65.00 in a report on Friday, January 17th. Baird R W upgraded Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Wedbush lifted their price target on shares of Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Ventas from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $69.14.

Ventas Stock Up 0.3 %

VTR traded up $0.19 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $66.72. 3,394,590 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,555,377. Ventas, Inc. has a 1 year low of $41.45 and a 1 year high of $67.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.99 billion, a PE ratio of -392.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $59.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $61.68.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a negative net margin of 1.38% and a negative return on equity of 0.69%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.16 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Ventas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.88%. Ventas's dividend payout ratio is currently 1,010.53%.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In other Ventas news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total value of $243,558.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at $716,373. This represents a 25.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.