Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Grows Stock Holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 105.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,420,322 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,778,408 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in Ventas were worth $347,605,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Community Trust NA purchased a new position in Ventas in the second quarter valued at $25,000. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Ventas in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $48,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ventas during the 2nd quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new position in shares of Ventas in the second quarter valued at $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VTR opened at $64.30 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $64.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $57.31. Ventas, Inc. has a 12-month low of $41.45 and a 12-month high of $67.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The firm has a market cap of $26.97 billion, a PE ratio of -378.21, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 1.36.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is presently -1,058.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ventas news, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total transaction of $389,940.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 90,795 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,900,767.05. The trade was a 6.20 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total transaction of $8,022,980.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,291,063.89. This represents a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 140,454 shares of company stock worth $9,263,815 in the last three months. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on VTR shares. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. StockNews.com raised Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Wolfe Research upgraded Ventas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $63.63.

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.