Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Has $1.31 Million Stock Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lowered its position in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 22,321 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 718 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Ventas were worth $1,314,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 66.2% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 527 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Promus Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ventas in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Ventas by 1,039.4% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 809 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 214,679 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.22, for a total value of $14,645,401.38. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,138,143 shares in the company, valued at $77,644,115.46. This represents a 15.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total value of $243,558.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at $716,373. The trade was a 25.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 260,227 shares of company stock worth $17,769,097 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Stock Performance

NYSE:VTR opened at $66.91 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $29.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 352.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $64.00 and its 200-day moving average is $63.10. Ventas, Inc. has a 1-year low of $41.45 and a 1-year high of $71.04.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a return on equity of 0.82% and a net margin of 1.65%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This is a boost from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.87%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 1,010.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VTR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Ventas from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com raised Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Baird R W raised Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Ventas from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Ventas from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.90.

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.