Aviva PLC Sells 24,945 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Aviva PLC lessened its stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 9.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 249,536 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 24,945 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC owned about 0.06% of Ventas worth $14,695,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in VTR. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in Ventas by 66.2% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 527 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period. Promus Capital LLC acquired a new position in Ventas during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Ventas in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in Ventas by 1,039.4% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 809 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares during the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ventas Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE VTR traded up $0.44 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $66.04. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,452,779 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,657,039. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $66.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $63.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Ventas, Inc. has a 52 week low of $41.45 and a 52 week high of $71.36. The stock has a market cap of $28.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 347.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.02.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last announced 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.91%. This is a positive change from Ventas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Ventas's dividend payout ratio is 1,010.53%.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 44,551 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.06, for a total value of $3,165,794.06. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,145,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,413,086.70. This represents a 3.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total value of $243,558.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at $716,373. The trade was a 25.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 304,778 shares of company stock worth $20,934,891. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on VTR. StockNews.com raised Ventas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Ventas from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Argus set a $75.00 target price on shares of Ventas in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Wedbush raised their price target on shares of Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $72.90.

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.