Landmark Investment Partners L.P. Takes Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Landmark Investment Partners L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 185,032 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $10,897,000. Ventas comprises approximately 4.4% of Landmark Investment Partners L.P.'s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter worth $66,000. Boothbay Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ventas in the 4th quarter valued at about $7,040,000. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new position in Ventas in the 4th quarter worth about $807,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,426,000. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its position in shares of Ventas by 37.1% during the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 1,136,900 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $66,952,000 after acquiring an additional 307,500 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.18% of the company's stock.

Ventas Trading Down 0.3 %

Ventas stock opened at $68.18 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market cap of $29.84 billion, a PE ratio of 358.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.02. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $67.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $63.80. Ventas, Inc. has a one year low of $43.64 and a one year high of $71.36.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a net margin of 1.65% and a return on equity of 0.82%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.82%. This is a boost from Ventas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Ventas's payout ratio is currently 1,010.53%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 214,679 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.22, for a total value of $14,645,401.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,138,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at $77,644,115.46. The trade was a 15.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total value of $243,558.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $716,373. This trade represents a 25.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 304,778 shares of company stock valued at $20,934,891. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on VTR. Baird R W upgraded shares of Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com raised shares of Ventas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Argus set a $75.00 target price on Ventas in a report on Friday, March 7th. Scotiabank increased their target price on Ventas from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Ventas from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $72.90.

About Ventas

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.

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