Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) CEO Debra A. Cafaro Sells 44,551 Shares

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 44,551 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.06, for a total value of $3,165,794.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,145,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $81,413,086.70. This trade represents a 3.74 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VTR traded down $1.39 during trading on Monday, hitting $64.12. The company had a trading volume of 4,134,849 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,625,822. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $65.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $63.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 337.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.02. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $41.45 and a 12 month high of $71.36.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a net margin of 1.65% and a return on equity of 0.82%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 1,010.53%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VTR has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Ventas from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com raised Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Wedbush lifted their price objective on Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $66.00 to $65.00 in a report on Friday, January 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.90.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventas

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Ventas by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 66,501,010 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,916,244,000 after purchasing an additional 912,813 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Ventas by 2.2% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 27,557,480 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,767,261,000 after buying an additional 599,600 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,948,546 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $643,207,000 after buying an additional 537,253 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Ventas by 60.8% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,207,553 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $365,563,000 after acquiring an additional 2,347,705 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in Ventas by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,133,172 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $361,184,000 after acquiring an additional 335,192 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is owned by 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.