Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc. Has $2.96 Million Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 11.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 50,203 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 5,257 shares during the period. Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Ventas were worth $2,956,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Ventas by 66.2% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 527 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Promus Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ventas in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ventas by 1,039.4% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 809 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 738 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ventas Price Performance

Shares of Ventas stock traded down $0.24 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $68.40. 2,216,781 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,680,462. The stock has a market cap of $29.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 360.02, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.02. 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 firm's fifty day moving average price is $67.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $63.69. Ventas, Inc. has a 12 month low of $43.11 and a 12 month high of $71.36.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.81%. This is an increase from Ventas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Ventas's dividend payout ratio is currently 1,010.53%.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 44,551 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.06, for a total value of $3,165,794.06. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,145,695 shares of the company's stock, valued at $81,413,086.70. The trade was a 3.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total transaction of $243,558.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,371 shares of the company's stock, valued at $716,373. This represents a 25.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 304,778 shares of company stock worth $20,934,891 in the last quarter. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on VTR. StockNews.com raised shares of Ventas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Ventas from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Ventas from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Scotiabank increased their target price on Ventas from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Baird R W raised Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ventas currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $72.90.

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.