Debra A. Cafaro Sells 41,294 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Stock

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 41,294 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.08, for a total value of $2,852,589.52. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,138,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $78,622,918.44. This represents a 3.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Ventas Stock Down 0.6 %

NYSE VTR traded down $0.42 on Tuesday, reaching $69.95. The company had a trading volume of 3,463,338 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,369,676. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.58 billion, a PE ratio of 368.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $61.58 and a 200-day moving average of $62.46. Ventas, Inc. has a 1 year low of $41.45 and a 1 year high of $71.00.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last released 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.48 dividend. 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. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.75%. Ventas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 1,010.53%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. bought a new position in Ventas during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ventas by 66.2% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 527 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Promus Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Ventas during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ventas by 1,039.4% during 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 in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Wedbush raised their target price on Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Ventas from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Ventas from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Robert W. Baird upgraded Ventas from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $66.00 to $65.00 in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ventas currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $71.14.

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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