Patton Fund Management Inc. Sells 14,421 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Patton Fund Management Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 13.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 96,028 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 14,421 shares during the quarter. Patton Fund Management Inc.’s holdings in Ventas were worth $5,655,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VTR. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in Ventas by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 8,120 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $521,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank boosted its position in Ventas by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 3,308 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $195,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Ventas by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 5,639 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $362,000 after buying an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Ventas by 66.2% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 527 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ventas by 3.9% during the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 5,832 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $374,000 after buying an additional 217 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Stock Down 1.6 %

VTR opened at $60.82 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $60.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $60.92. The company has a market capitalization of $25.51 billion, a PE ratio of -357.72, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. Ventas, Inc. has a 1-year low of $41.45 and a 1-year high of $67.61.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is currently -1,058.76%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on VTR. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $66.00 to $65.00 in a report on Friday, January 17th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Ventas from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Baird R W raised Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ventas currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $67.63.

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.