State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Grows Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 542,819 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 4,643 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D owned approximately 0.13% of Ventas worth $27,054,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new position in Ventas in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in Ventas by 151.1% in the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 796 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $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 worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in Ventas by 421.7% in the third quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 986 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 797 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ventas in the third quarter worth about $44,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. 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 research note on Monday, March 18th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $46.00 price target (down previously from $52.00) on shares of Ventas in a report on Monday, February 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Ventas in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $60.00 target price for the company. Mizuho lifted their target price on Ventas from $53.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. 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 report on Tuesday, January 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $51.25.

Ventas Stock Up 1.5 %

NYSE VTR traded up $0.65 on Friday, reaching $44.01. 1,899,133 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,364,493. 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 fifty day moving average price of $43.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $45.05. The company has a market cap of $17.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -394.15, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.26. Ventas, Inc. has a 12 month low of $39.33 and a 12 month high of $50.99.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 1st were given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 28th. Ventas’s payout ratio is -1,636.21%.

Ventas 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.