Bamco Inc. NY Purchases 105,491 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Bamco Inc. NY boosted its holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 114.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 197,421 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 105,491 shares during the period. Bamco Inc. NY's holdings in Ventas were worth $12,661,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. First Community Trust NA bought a new position in Ventas during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Ventas in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Ventas in the 3rd quarter valued at about $48,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ventas during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in shares of Ventas during the second quarter worth approximately $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,827 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.20, for a total transaction of $431,466.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,360,514.40. This represents a 0.69 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total transaction of $389,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 90,795 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,900,767.05. This trade represents a 6.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 140,079 shares of company stock worth $9,241,311. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ventas Trading Up 0.9 %

VTR stock traded up $0.55 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $62.81. 594,073 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,406,082. Ventas, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $41.45 and a fifty-two week high of $67.61. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $64.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $58.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. Ventas's payout ratio is -1,058.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. StockNews.com raised Ventas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Ventas to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ventas from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $63.63.

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.