Sigma Planning Corp Reduces Stock Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Sigma Planning Corp decreased its stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 53.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,086 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 11,719 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Ventas were worth $503,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Ventas by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 22,246,452 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $937,243,000 after purchasing an additional 1,483,908 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Ventas by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 19,691,981 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $829,619,000 after acquiring an additional 331,019 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in shares of Ventas by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,575,523 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $234,897,000 after acquiring an additional 173,415 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Ventas by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,321,475 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $224,194,000 after acquiring an additional 88,489 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ventas by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,384,798 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $184,732,000 after acquiring an additional 105,583 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE VTR opened at $43.36 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $43.22 and a 200-day moving average of $45.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. Ventas, Inc. has a 1-year low of $39.33 and a 1-year high of $50.99. The firm has a market cap of $17.52 billion, a PE ratio of -394.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.26.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st were given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.15%. Ventas’s payout ratio is currently -1,636.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $46.00 target price (down from $52.00) on shares of Ventas in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Ventas from $53.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Ventas from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, March 18th. StockNews.com cut Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Ventas in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $60.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ventas currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $51.25.

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.