Bridgewater Advisors Inc. Purchases Shares of 5,965 Ventas, Inc. $VTR

Bridgewater Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 5,965 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $536,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VTR. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Ventas by 856.1% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 7,926 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $545,000 after purchasing an additional 7,097 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Ventas by 6.8% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 8,373 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $576,000 after buying an additional 536 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its stake in Ventas by 46.8% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 36,826 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,532,000 after acquiring an additional 11,739 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its position in Ventas by 130.4% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 21,613 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,486,000 after acquiring an additional 12,233 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL purchased a new position in shares of Ventas during the second quarter worth about $805,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ventas

In related news, Director Michael J. Embler bought 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $78.81 per share, with a total value of $197,025.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 19,202 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,513,309.62. This trade represents a 14.97% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Stock Up 1.3%

VTR opened at $91.48 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $90.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $86.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The company has a market cap of $46.92 billion, a PE ratio of 169.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.69. Ventas, Inc. has a 52 week low of $66.38 and a 52 week high of $101.60.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on VTR shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Ventas from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Ventas from $93.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Ventas from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Ventas from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Ventas from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $98.00.

Ventas Profile

Ventas, Inc (NYSE: VTR) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that specializes in healthcare-related real estate. The company acquires, owns and manages a diversified portfolio of properties serving the healthcare continuum, including senior housing communities, skilled nursing facilities, medical office buildings, life science and research centers, and other properties leased to healthcare providers and operators. Ventas generates revenue through long-term leases, property management and selective development activities focused on meeting the real estate needs of the healthcare sector.

Ventas’ business model combines property ownership with active asset management and capital markets activity.