Patten Group Inc. Boosts Stake in Ventas, Inc. $VTR

Patten Group Inc. lifted its stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,237 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the period. Patten Group Inc.’s holdings in Ventas were worth $394,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Ventas by 1,334.6% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 373 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Ventas in the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new stake in Ventas in the 1st quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich purchased a new stake in Ventas in the 1st quarter worth $41,000. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ventas Stock Up 0.2%

VTR opened at $70.40 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $66.47. Ventas, Inc. has a 52 week low of $56.68 and a 52 week high of $72.02. The company has a market capitalization of $32.00 billion, a PE ratio of 163.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.02. Ventas had a net margin of 3.61% and a return on equity of 1.75%. The business had revenue of $1.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.80 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 18.3% on a year-over-year basis. Ventas has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.410-3.46 EPS. Analysts forecast that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th were issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 446.51%.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In related news, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 29,691 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.49, for a total value of $2,033,536.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 168,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,531,250.36. This trade represents a 14.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 219,515 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.32, for a total transaction of $15,655,809.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,145,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $81,710,967.40. The trade was a 16.08% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 289,072 shares of company stock valued at $20,427,497. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VTR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Ventas from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Ventas from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Scotiabank increased their price target on Ventas from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Ventas in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $77.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Ventas from $72.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $75.46.

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.