Patton Fund Management Inc. Takes Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Patton Fund Management Inc. acquired a new position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 110,449 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $7,083,000. Ventas comprises approximately 1.5% of Patton Fund Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Community Trust NA bought a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Ventas in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. First Financial Corp IN bought a new position in shares of Ventas in the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas in the second quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in Ventas during the 2nd quarter worth $51,000. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Price Performance

NYSE VTR traded up $0.03 during trading on Thursday, reaching $64.69. 533,071 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,389,173. Ventas, Inc. has a 1-year low of $40.98 and a 1-year high of $65.64. The company has a market cap of $26.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -161.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.36. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $62.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $53.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.58.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by ($0.74). Ventas had a negative net margin of 3.33% and a negative return on equity of 1.63%. The company had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.75 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.18 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is currently -449.99%.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In other Ventas news, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 3,784 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.24, for a total transaction of $209,028.16. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 104,295 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,761,255.80. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 40,079 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.29, for a total transaction of $2,296,125.91. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at $56,529,016.93. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 3,784 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.24, for a total value of $209,028.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 104,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,761,255.80. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 77,065 shares of company stock worth $4,526,464. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on VTR shares. Wedbush lifted their price target on Ventas from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Ventas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $63.63.

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.