Avestar Capital LLC Invests $295,000 in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Avestar Capital LLC acquired a new position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 5,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $295,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in VTR. CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of Ventas by 9.1% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,532 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $547,000 after purchasing an additional 711 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its stake in shares of Ventas by 2,671.0% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 2,577 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $165,000 after purchasing an additional 2,484 shares during the period. Creative Planning increased its stake in shares of Ventas by 9.5% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 52,798 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,386,000 after purchasing an additional 4,593 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Ventas in the third quarter worth about $226,000. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Ventas by 3.7% in the third quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 5,639 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $362,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the period. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of Ventas stock opened at $66.57 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $59.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $61.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -391.55, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.37. Ventas, Inc. has a 52 week low of $41.45 and a 52 week high of $67.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a negative net margin of 1.38% and a negative return on equity of 0.69%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.16 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.88%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is presently -1,058.76%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VTR. Baird R W raised Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Ventas from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Wedbush lifted their target price on Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Mizuho decreased their target price on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $69.14.

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.