BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp Cuts Stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp trimmed its position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 12.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 67,524 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 9,554 shares during the quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp's holdings in Ventas were worth $4,330,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. BDF Gestion purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the second quarter worth about $3,716,000. Friedenthal Financial raised its stake in Ventas by 1,183.7% in the third quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 12,773 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $819,000 after purchasing an additional 11,778 shares in the last quarter. Tandem Capital Management Corp ADV raised its stake in Ventas by 62.1% in the third quarter. Tandem Capital Management Corp ADV now owns 27,730 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,778,000 after purchasing an additional 10,620 shares in the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd purchased a new stake in Ventas in the third quarter valued at approximately $544,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in Ventas by 480.0% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 35,325 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,538,000 after purchasing an additional 29,235 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ventas Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of Ventas stock traded up $0.51 on Tuesday, hitting $62.77. The stock had a trading volume of 2,154,700 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,413,068. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. Ventas, Inc. has a one year low of $41.45 and a one year high of $67.61. The stock has a market cap of $26.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -369.21, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.36. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $64.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $58.33.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. Ventas's dividend payout ratio is -1,058.76%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on VTR shares. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ventas from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their target price for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a research report on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ventas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $64.13.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,827 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.20, for a total transaction of $431,466.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $62,360,514.40. This trade represents a 0.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total value of $389,940.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 90,795 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,900,767.05. This represents a 6.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 140,079 shares of company stock worth $9,241,311. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

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.