Merit Financial Group LLC Purchases New Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 4,278 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $213,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ventas in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in Ventas by 151.1% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 796 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 479 shares during the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC boosted its position in Ventas by 82.7% in the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 718 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Ventas during the third quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its holdings in shares of Ventas by 73.4% during the fourth quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,408 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 596 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 18,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.11, for a total value of $871,535.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 176,403 shares in the company, valued at $8,310,345.33. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on VTR. Evercore ISI raised Ventas from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, March 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Ventas in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $60.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com lowered Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. 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, Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $46.00 price objective (down previously from $52.00) on shares of Ventas in a research report on Monday, February 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $51.25.

Ventas Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:VTR opened at $47.55 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The stock has a market cap of $19.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -250.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a 50 day moving average of $43.63 and a 200-day moving average of $45.26. Ventas, Inc. has a one year low of $39.33 and a one year high of $50.99.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.79%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 28th. Ventas’s payout ratio is -947.37%.

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.