Ritholtz Wealth Management Increases Stock Holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 236.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,342 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 19,222 shares during the quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management's holdings in Ventas were worth $1,610,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of VTR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Ventas by 2.2% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 27,557,480 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,767,261,000 after acquiring an additional 599,600 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Ventas by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,671,227 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,710,426,000 after purchasing an additional 581,870 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its holdings in Ventas by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,364,810 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,498,385,000 after purchasing an additional 982,795 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Ventas by 2.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,411,293 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $665,559,000 after purchasing an additional 245,922 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Ventas by 105.2% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,420,322 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $347,605,000 after purchasing an additional 2,778,408 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ventas Stock Up 0.8 %

NYSE VTR traded up $0.49 on Friday, hitting $58.85. 2,972,943 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,830,855. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $60.75 and a 200-day moving average price of $60.47. The company has a market cap of $24.69 billion, a PE ratio of -346.15, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.37. Ventas, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $41.45 and a fifty-two week high of $67.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. Ventas's dividend payout ratio is currently -1,058.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird raised Ventas from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. StockNews.com raised shares of Ventas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ventas from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Baird R W upgraded shares of Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $67.13.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total value of $8,022,980.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at $65,291,063.89. This represents a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

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.