National Pension Service Has $43.24 Million Holdings in Ventas, Inc. $VTR

National Pension Service boosted its stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 617,772 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,153 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in Ventas were worth $43,238,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of VTR. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Ventas by 856.1% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 7,926 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $545,000 after acquiring an additional 7,097 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Ventas by 6.8% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 8,373 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $576,000 after purchasing an additional 536 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its position in Ventas by 46.8% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 36,826 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,532,000 after purchasing an additional 11,739 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in Ventas by 130.4% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 21,613 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,486,000 after purchasing an additional 12,233 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Ventas in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on VTR shares. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $93.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a report on Monday, December 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $93.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a research report on Monday, January 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Ventas in a research note on Friday, January 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $94.00 price objective on the stock. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Ventas from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Ventas from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ventas has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $81.63.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VTR opened at $77.33 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. Ventas, Inc. has a 12 month low of $58.72 and a 12 month high of $81.89. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $78.17 and a 200-day moving average of $72.92. The company has a market capitalization of $36.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 148.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.77.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were issued a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. Ventas’s payout ratio is currently 369.23%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 2,771 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.01, for a total transaction of $221,707.71. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 108,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,698,447.17. This trade represents a 2.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 41,294 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.01, for a total transaction of $3,262,638.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,145,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $90,521,361.95. This trade represents a 3.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 140,727 shares of company stock valued at $10,901,338 over the last ninety days. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ventas Profile

Ventas, Inc (NYSE: VTR) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that specializes in healthcare-related real estate. The company acquires, owns and manages a diversified portfolio of properties serving the healthcare continuum, including senior housing communities, skilled nursing facilities, medical office buildings, life science and research centers, and other properties leased to healthcare providers and operators. Ventas generates revenue through long-term leases, property management and selective development activities focused on meeting the real estate needs of the healthcare sector.

Ventas’ business model combines property ownership with active asset management and capital markets activity.