Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Shares Sold by ING Groep NV

ING Groep NV decreased its stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 11.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 269,355 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 35,612 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Ventas were worth $17,274,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Centersquare Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ventas by 11.5% during the 1st quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 7,806,396 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $345,667,000 after acquiring an additional 802,546 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Ventas by 1.7% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,931,538 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $304,047,000 after purchasing an additional 96,482 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in Ventas by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,489,159 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $239,000,000 after purchasing an additional 413,564 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new stake in Ventas during the second quarter worth $135,425,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its position in Ventas by 0.4% in the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,756,752 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $90,051,000 after purchasing an additional 7,585 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In other Ventas news, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total value of $389,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 90,795 shares in the company, valued at $5,900,767.05. This represents a 6.20 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total transaction of $8,022,980.16. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at $65,291,063.89. This trade represents a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 140,454 shares of company stock worth $9,263,815 in the last three months. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VTR. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Wedbush raised their target price on Ventas from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $63.63.

Ventas Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VTR opened at $63.50 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $64.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $56.60. Ventas, Inc. has a 52-week low of $41.45 and a 52-week high of $67.61.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.83%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is presently -1,058.76%.

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.