Mariner LLC Increases Holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Mariner LLC increased its stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 10.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 53,460 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 4,850 shares during the quarter. Mariner LLC's holdings in Ventas were worth $3,148,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cohen & Steers Inc. raised its holdings in Ventas by 37.9% in the 4th quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 66,584 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $3,921,000 after buying an additional 18,294 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 14.5% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 71,790 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $4,228,000 after purchasing an additional 9,102 shares during the period. Paralel Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ventas in the fourth quarter valued at $3,239,000. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its position in Ventas by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 195,351 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $11,504,000 after purchasing an additional 13,460 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Scotia Capital Inc. lifted its holdings in Ventas by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. now owns 18,236 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,074,000 after buying an additional 1,311 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 214,679 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.22, for a total transaction of $14,645,401.38. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,138,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $77,644,115.46. This represents a 15.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total transaction of $243,558.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $716,373. The trade was a 25.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 304,778 shares of company stock worth $20,934,891. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ventas Stock Performance

NYSE VTR traded down $0.25 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $68.16. 634,902 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,674,094. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 358.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. Ventas, Inc. has a 1 year low of $43.11 and a 1 year high of $71.36. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $67.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $63.73.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a return on equity of 0.82% and a net margin of 1.65%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued 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 2.82%. This is a boost from Ventas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Ventas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 1,010.53%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Ventas from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Ventas from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Robert W. Baird upgraded Ventas from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $66.00 to $65.00 in a report on Friday, January 17th. Argus set a $75.00 price objective on Ventas in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Baird R W raised Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.