Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) CEO Debra A. Cafaro Sells 214,679 Shares

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 214,679 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.22, for a total transaction of $14,645,401.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,138,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $77,644,115.46. This trade represents a 15.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of VTR opened at $68.23 on Thursday. Ventas, Inc. has a 1 year low of $41.45 and a 1 year high of $68.98. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $60.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $62.13. The company has a market capitalization of $29.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 359.13, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a return on equity of 0.82% and a net margin of 1.65%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 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 given a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is a boost from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.81%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 1,010.53%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on VTR. Baird R W raised Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com upgraded Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Ventas from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised shares of Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $66.00 to $65.00 in a 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $70.71.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventas

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Integrated Advisors Network LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 5,536 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 426 shares during the last quarter. Ascent Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ventas in the 4th quarter worth $367,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its holdings in Ventas by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 501,361 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $29,525,000 after acquiring an additional 25,366 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its position in Ventas by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 223,711 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $13,174,000 after acquiring an additional 20,746 shares during the period. Finally, GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new stake in Ventas during the fourth quarter worth about $444,000. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.