Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. Boosts Holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. lifted its stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 3,151,375 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,600 shares during the period. Ventas accounts for 1.9% of Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.’s holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Ventas were worth $157,065,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Ventas by 4,831.0% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 231,856 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $11,556,000 after purchasing an additional 227,154 shares during the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System grew its position in Ventas by 1.2% during the third quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 776,160 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $32,700,000 after buying an additional 9,194 shares during the period. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Ventas by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 86,912 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $4,332,000 after buying an additional 8,199 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in Ventas by 114.9% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 47,578 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,371,000 after acquiring an additional 25,442 shares during the period. Finally, OLD National Bancorp IN purchased a new position in shares of Ventas during the 4th quarter worth $6,046,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on VTR shares. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $46.00 price objective (down from $52.00) on shares of Ventas in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Ventas from $53.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Ventas from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Ventas from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $48.00 to $53.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Ventas in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $60.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ventas presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $51.25.

Ventas Trading Up 1.5 %

Ventas stock traded up $0.67 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $44.68. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,919,581 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,359,071. Ventas, Inc. has a one year low of $39.33 and a one year high of $50.99. The stock has a market cap of $18.05 billion, a PE ratio of -406.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a 50 day moving average of $43.25 and a 200-day moving average of $45.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.51.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.03%. Ventas’s payout ratio is currently -1,636.21%.

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.