Franklin Resources Inc. Boosts Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 11.5% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,252,460 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 128,945 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Ventas were worth $80,070,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VTR. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in Ventas by 2.1% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 8,120 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $521,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Profund Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Ventas by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 6,270 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Ventas by 3.7% in the third quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 5,639 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $362,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 3.9% during the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 5,832 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $374,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the period. Finally, Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Ventas by 4.5% during the third quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. now owns 5,434 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $349,000 after acquiring an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total transaction of $8,022,980.16. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,291,063.89. This represents a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on VTR. Scotiabank increased their target price on Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. StockNews.com cut Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ventas presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $65.63.

Ventas Price Performance

Shares of Ventas stock opened at $59.48 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. Ventas, Inc. has a 12 month low of $41.45 and a 12 month high of $67.61. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $63.64 and a 200 day moving average of $59.15. The firm has a market cap of $24.95 billion, a PE ratio of -349.88, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.36.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. Ventas’s payout ratio is -1,058.82%.

Ventas Company 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.