25,290 Shares in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Bought by Liberty Mutual Group Asset Management Inc.

Liberty Mutual Group Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 25,290 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $1,296,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. D.A. Davidson & CO. acquired a new position in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter worth about $220,000. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ventas by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 29,857 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,488,000 after acquiring an additional 2,570 shares in the last quarter. Commerce Bank raised its holdings in shares of Ventas by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 11,740 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $585,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares during the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 38.3% in the fourth quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 11,539 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $562,000 after purchasing an additional 3,195 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Ventas by 19.2% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,493 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $124,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Stock Down 1.6 %

VTR opened at $63.82 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $59.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $51.44. Ventas, Inc. has a 1-year low of $39.33 and a 1-year high of $65.64. The stock has a market cap of $26.37 billion, a PE ratio of -335.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by ($0.74). Ventas had a negative return on equity of 1.63% and a negative net margin of 3.33%. The company had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.75 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.82%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -947.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on VTR. Wolfe Research raised shares of Ventas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. StockNews.com raised Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price objective on Ventas from $55.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ventas currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $58.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ventas

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 40,079 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.29, for a total value of $2,296,125.91. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at $56,529,016.93. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total value of $389,940.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 90,795 shares in the company, valued at $5,900,767.05. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 40,079 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.29, for a total value of $2,296,125.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $56,529,016.93. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 77,065 shares of company stock valued at $4,526,464 in the last ninety days. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.