Groupama Asset Managment Increases Holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Groupama Asset Managment increased its stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 2,210.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 550,000 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 526,198 shares during the quarter. Groupama Asset Managment owned about 0.13% of Ventas worth $35,272,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Friedenthal Financial lifted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 11,778 shares during the period. Tandem Capital Management Corp ADV boosted its stake in Ventas by 62.1% during the third quarter. Tandem Capital Management Corp ADV now owns 27,730 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,778,000 after buying an additional 10,620 shares in the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd bought a new position in Ventas during the third quarter worth about $544,000. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Ventas by 480.0% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 35,325 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,538,000 after buying an additional 29,235 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its holdings in Ventas by 7.9% in the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 332,300 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $21,310,000 after acquiring an additional 24,300 shares during the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ventas Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE:VTR traded down $0.38 on Monday, hitting $61.27. The stock had a trading volume of 1,179,443 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,403,770. Ventas, Inc. has a 52 week low of $41.45 and a 52 week high of $67.61. The business's fifty day moving average is $63.98 and its 200 day moving average is $58.61. 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 Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. Ventas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -1,058.76%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,004 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,231,860.87. This trade represents a 0.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total transaction of $389,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 90,795 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,900,767.05. This represents a 6.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 133,252 shares of company stock worth $8,809,845 over the last three months. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised Ventas from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ventas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $65.63.

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.