Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) is Heitman Real Estate Securities LLC’s 9th Largest Position

Heitman Real Estate Securities LLC grew its position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 12.5% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 983,350 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 109,300 shares during the quarter. Ventas makes up 3.4% of Heitman Real Estate Securities LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Heitman Real Estate Securities LLC’s holdings in Ventas were worth $63,062,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VTR. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Ventas by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 222,292 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $14,256,000 after buying an additional 1,284 shares during the period. Atom Investors LP purchased a new position in shares of Ventas in the 3rd quarter valued at about $220,000. Bamco Inc. NY boosted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 114.8% in the 3rd quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 197,421 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $12,661,000 after buying an additional 105,491 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its stake in Ventas by 1.2% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 24,161 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,549,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares during the period. Finally, Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. lifted its holdings in Ventas by 480.7% in the third quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. now owns 26,214 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,681,000 after acquiring an additional 21,700 shares during the period. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,827 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.20, for a total value of $431,466.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,360,514.40. The trade was a 0.69 % 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 Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total transaction of $389,940.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 90,795 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,900,767.05. This trade represents a 6.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 140,079 shares of company stock valued at $9,241,311. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ventas Price Performance

VTR opened at $62.23 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. Ventas, Inc. has a one year low of $41.45 and a one year high of $67.61. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $64.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $58.14.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,058.76%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Ventas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Wedbush boosted their price target on Ventas from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price objective on Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $63.63.

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.