Crestline Management LP Invests $4.88 Million in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Crestline Management LP bought a new position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm bought 82,853 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $4,879,000.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of VTR. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Ventas in the fourth quarter worth $340,282,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Ventas by 60.8% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,207,553 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $365,563,000 after buying an additional 2,347,705 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in Ventas by 1,489.5% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,456,112 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $85,750,000 after acquiring an additional 1,364,504 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ventas by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 66,501,010 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,916,244,000 after acquiring an additional 912,813 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in shares of Ventas by 56.0% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,499,228 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $147,180,000 after acquiring an additional 896,717 shares during the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ventas Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE VTR opened at $65.88 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $67.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $63.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market cap of $28.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 346.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.95. Ventas, Inc. has a 52-week low of $46.66 and a 52-week high of $71.36.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.32 billion. Ventas had a net margin of 1.65% and a return on equity of 0.82%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.78 EPS. Analysts expect that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This is a boost from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Ventas’s payout ratio is 581.82%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on VTR shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Ventas from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Wedbush upped their price target on Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Ventas from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Argus set a $75.00 target price on shares of Ventas in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Ventas from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ventas presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.90.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 388 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.00, for a total value of $27,548.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,128,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $80,098,153. The trade was a 0.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total value of $243,558.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $716,373. This trade represents a 25.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 313,888 shares of company stock worth $21,536,515. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.