United Asset Strategies Inc. Cuts Holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

United Asset Strategies Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 37,004 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 2,408 shares during the period. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Ventas were worth $1,844,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Ventas by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 22,246,452 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $937,243,000 after acquiring an additional 1,483,908 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Ventas by 1.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 19,691,981 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $829,619,000 after purchasing an additional 331,019 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 2.2% during the first quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,157,232 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $396,158,000 after buying an additional 201,327 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 37.5% in the 2nd quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 6,602,496 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $312,100,000 after buying an additional 1,801,365 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its position in shares of Ventas by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,575,523 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $234,897,000 after buying an additional 173,415 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Price Performance

Shares of VTR traded down $0.19 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $42.05. 483,046 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,419,131. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $43.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $44.99. Ventas, Inc. has a 12-month low of $39.33 and a 12-month high of $50.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.51. The company has a market cap of $16.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -378.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.26.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.28%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 28th. Ventas’s payout ratio is -1,636.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on VTR. StockNews.com cut shares of Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Ventas from $53.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Ventas in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $60.00 price target for the company. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Ventas from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $48.00 to $53.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $51.54.

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.