Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Shares Acquired by Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 77.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,502 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 4,594 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Ventas were worth $618,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in Ventas in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Ventas by 66.2% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 527 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Ventas in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in Ventas in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $64,000. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Ventas in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $74,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Price Performance

Ventas stock opened at $58.85 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $24.69 billion, a P/E ratio of -346.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $60.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $60.53. Ventas, Inc. has a 12-month low of $41.45 and a 12-month high of $67.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.06%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -1,058.76%.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In other Ventas 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on VTR. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $66.00 to $65.00 in a report on Friday. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Scotiabank boosted their price target 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.13.

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.