Heitman Real Estate Securities LLC Purchases 109,300 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Heitman Real Estate Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 12.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 983,350 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 109,300 shares during the period. Ventas makes up about 3.4% of Heitman Real Estate Securities LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Heitman Real Estate Securities LLC owned 0.23% of Ventas worth $63,062,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. BDF Gestion bought a new position in Ventas during the second quarter worth about $3,716,000. Friedenthal Financial increased its position in shares of Ventas by 1,183.7% during the third quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 12,773 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $819,000 after buying an additional 11,778 shares during the period. Tandem Capital Management Corp ADV increased its stake in shares of Ventas by 62.1% during the third quarter. Tandem Capital Management Corp ADV now owns 27,730 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,778,000 after purchasing an additional 10,620 shares in the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd bought a new position in Ventas in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $544,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in shares of Ventas by 480.0% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 35,325 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,538,000 after acquiring an additional 29,235 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VTR has been the topic of several recent research reports. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Wolfe Research upgraded Ventas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Wedbush lifted their price objective on Ventas from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $63.63.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.11, for a total value of $396,924.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at $65,231,860.87. This represents a 0.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 value of $389,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 90,795 shares in the company, 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. Insiders have sold 140,079 shares of company stock worth $9,241,311 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Stock Down 2.9 %

VTR opened at $62.23 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $64.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.14. Ventas, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $41.45 and a fifty-two week high of $67.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

Ventas Announces Dividend

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

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.