Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Shares Sold by J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. cut its holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 7.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,172 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 481 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Ventas were worth $308,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its stake in Ventas by 315.0% during the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 3,218,555 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $135,598,000 after purchasing an additional 2,443,076 shares during the period. Resolution Capital Ltd acquired a new position in Ventas during the 3rd quarter valued at about $77,297,000. FMR LLC boosted its stake in 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 during the period. Rush Island Management LP acquired a new position in Ventas during the 3rd quarter valued at about $56,815,000. Finally, Strs Ohio boosted its stake in Ventas by 196.2% during the 3rd quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 1,501,021 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $63,238,000 after purchasing an additional 994,210 shares during the period. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ventas Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE VTR opened at $43.61 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $43.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $45.06. Ventas, Inc. has a 12 month low of $39.33 and a 12 month high of $50.99.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Investors of record on Monday, April 1st were issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.13%. Ventas’s payout ratio is currently -1,636.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on VTR shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Ventas in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $60.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI raised shares of Ventas from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $46.00 price target (down from $52.00) on shares of Ventas in a research note on Monday, February 26th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Ventas from $53.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ventas currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $51.54.

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.