Citigroup Inc. Sells 92,201 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Citigroup Inc. reduced its stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 24.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 278,246 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 92,201 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of Ventas worth $17,844,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 14.1% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 92,117 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $4,009,000 after acquiring an additional 11,406 shares during the period. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Ventas by 40.5% during the first quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 8,810 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $375,000 after buying an additional 2,539 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in Ventas by 359.9% in the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 33,355 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,452,000 after buying an additional 26,102 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ventas in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $627,000. Finally, Swedbank AB bought a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 1st quarter worth approximately $19,551,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company's stock.

Ventas Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE VTR opened at $64.55 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $64.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $57.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Ventas, Inc. has a 1 year low of $41.45 and a 1 year high of $67.61. The firm has a market cap of $27.08 billion, a PE ratio of -379.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.36.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.79%. Ventas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,058.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 90,795 shares in the company, valued at $5,900,767.05. This represents a 6.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,004 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.11, for a total transaction of $396,924.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $65,231,860.87. The trade was a 0.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 140,079 shares of company stock valued at $9,241,311 over the last 90 days. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VTR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research raised shares of Ventas to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Wedbush raised their price objective on Ventas from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. StockNews.com raised Ventas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $63.63.

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.

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