Ausbil Investment Management Ltd Makes New Investment in LTC Properties, Inc. (NYSE:LTC)

Ausbil Investment Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of LTC Properties, Inc. (NYSE:LTC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 9,759 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $334,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Barclays PLC grew its position in LTC Properties by 148.8% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 87,972 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $3,228,000 after acquiring an additional 52,619 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in LTC Properties by 80.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 253,807 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $9,312,000 after purchasing an additional 113,100 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of LTC Properties by 6.9% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 229,176 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $8,408,000 after acquiring an additional 14,778 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in LTC Properties by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 754,512 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $27,683,000 after acquiring an additional 30,422 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in LTC Properties during the 3rd quarter worth about $679,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.25% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. JMP Securities raised shares of LTC Properties from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $40.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Citizens Jmp raised LTC Properties from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th.

Insider Transactions at LTC Properties

In other news, Director David L. Gruber bought 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $37.16 per share, with a total value of $111,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 21,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at $799,534.56. This represents a 16.20 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Clint B. Malin sold 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.75, for a total value of $232,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 158,585 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,145,168.75. The trade was a 3.65 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

LTC Properties Price Performance

Shares of LTC Properties stock traded down $0.22 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $34.32. 692,867 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 348,289. LTC Properties, Inc. has a 12 month low of $30.30 and a 12 month high of $39.89. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $35.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 11.60 and a current ratio of 11.60. The stock has a market cap of $1.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.73 and a beta of 0.93.

LTC Properties Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a jan 25 dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be given a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a yield of 6.45%. LTC Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 97.85%.

About LTC Properties

LTC Properties, Inc is a real estate investment trust, which engages in managing seniors housing and health care properties. It operates through the Texas, Michigan, Florida, Wisconsin, Colorado, and Remaining States geographic segments. The company was founded by Andre C. Dimitriadis on May 12, 1992 and is headquartered in Westlake Village, CA.