Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Stake Increased by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 2.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 27,557,480 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 599,600 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned approximately 6.57% of Ventas worth $1,767,261,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in Ventas by 862.7% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,932,017 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $252,160,000 after acquiring an additional 3,523,594 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Ventas by 105.2% in 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. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new position in Ventas during the 2nd quarter valued at about $73,517,000. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Ventas by 4.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,364,810 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,498,385,000 after purchasing an additional 982,795 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 217.4% in the second quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 856,525 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $43,905,000 after buying an additional 586,676 shares during the period. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total value of $8,022,980.16. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,291,063.89. This trade represents a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on VTR. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Ventas from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. StockNews.com raised shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ventas presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $65.67.

Ventas Stock Performance

VTR stock opened at $59.38 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $62.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.53. Ventas, Inc. has a 12 month low of $41.45 and a 12 month high of $67.61. The company has a market capitalization of $24.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -349.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.36. 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.03%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -1,058.82%.

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.