Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Shares Sold by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC reduced its position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 24.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 71,223 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 23,654 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC's holdings in Ventas were worth $4,567,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VTR. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Ventas by 4.4% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,364,810 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,498,385,000 after buying an additional 982,795 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Ventas by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,931,538 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $304,047,000 after acquiring an additional 96,482 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Ventas by 105.2% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,420,322 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $347,605,000 after acquiring an additional 2,778,408 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Ventas by 5.0% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,904,078 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $314,499,000 after purchasing an additional 231,352 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in shares of Ventas by 862.7% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,932,017 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $252,160,000 after purchasing an additional 3,523,594 shares during the period. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ventas Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of VTR traded down $0.43 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $60.72. The company had a trading volume of 2,276,012 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,409,449. Ventas, Inc. has a 1-year low of $41.45 and a 1-year high of $67.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $63.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $58.81. The stock has a market cap of $25.47 billion, a PE ratio of -354.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.36.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.96%. Ventas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -1,058.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on VTR. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. StockNews.com raised Ventas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $75.00 target price on shares of Ventas in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price 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 given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $65.63.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total transaction of $8,022,980.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,291,063.89. This represents a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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.