Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Position Reduced by Centersquare Investment Management LLC

Centersquare Investment Management LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 6,832,026 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 55,511 shares during the quarter. Ventas makes up 4.2% of Centersquare Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Centersquare Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Ventas were worth $402,338,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several 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 shares of Ventas during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position 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 in the last quarter. Promus Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ventas in the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Ventas by 1,039.4% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 809 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 738 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:VTR opened at $69.59 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 366.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.37. 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 12-month low of $41.45 and a 12-month high of $71.36. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $65.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $63.39.

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

Ventas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This is a boost from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.76%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 1,010.53%.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In related news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total value of $243,558.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at $716,373. This represents a 25.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 214,679 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.22, for a total value of $14,645,401.38. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,138,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $77,644,115.46. This trade represents a 15.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 260,227 shares of company stock valued at $17,769,097 in the last 90 days. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VTR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Ventas from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Wedbush increased their target price on shares of Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Ventas from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective on Ventas from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ventas presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.90.

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.