Kentucky Trust Co Takes $1.33 Million Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 22,540 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $1,327,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Ventas by 862.7% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,932,017 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $252,160,000 after acquiring an additional 3,523,594 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in Ventas by 105.2% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,420,322 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $347,605,000 after acquiring an additional 2,778,408 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its stake in Ventas by 4.4% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,364,810 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,498,385,000 after acquiring an additional 982,795 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Ventas by 2.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 27,557,480 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,767,261,000 after acquiring an additional 599,600 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp increased its stake in Ventas by 2.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,671,227 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,710,426,000 after acquiring an additional 581,870 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Price Performance

VTR opened at $59.56 on Wednesday. Ventas, Inc. has a one year low of $41.45 and a one year high of $67.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $59.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $61.37.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.02%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -1,058.76%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VTR. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 target price on shares of Ventas in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Baird R W raised shares of Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Ventas from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $68.71.

About Ventas

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.