Franklin Resources Inc. Has $37.61 Million Stock Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 209.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 754,662 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 510,718 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.19% of Ventas worth $37,612,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Ventas in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Ventas by 77.9% during the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 514 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC raised its holdings in Ventas by 82.7% during the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 718 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ventas in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in shares of Ventas by 151.1% during the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 796 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 479 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on VTR shares. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Ventas from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, March 18th. StockNews.com lowered Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Scotiabank upped their price target on Ventas from $47.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 16th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $46.00 price objective (down from $52.00) on shares of Ventas in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Ventas in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $60.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $51.23.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ventas

In other Ventas news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 14,625 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.70, for a total value of $697,612.50. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 12,524 shares in the company, valued at $597,394.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Ventas news, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 18,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.11, for a total transaction of $871,535.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 176,403 shares in the company, valued at $8,310,345.33. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 14,625 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.70, for a total transaction of $697,612.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 12,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $597,394.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 35,270 shares of company stock valued at $1,672,966. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Stock Up 0.7 %

VTR opened at $47.50 on Friday. Ventas, Inc. has a twelve month low of $39.33 and a twelve month high of $50.99. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $44.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $45.72. The stock has a market cap of $19.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -249.99, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 1st. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -947.32%.

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.