Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Sells 112,020 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,329,154 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 112,020 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned 0.32% of Ventas worth $85,239,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Centersquare Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Ventas by 11.5% in the first quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 7,806,396 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $345,667,000 after purchasing an additional 802,546 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ventas in the 1st quarter valued at about $819,000. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI purchased a new stake in Ventas during the 1st quarter valued at about $11,749,000. BDF Gestion bought a new position in Ventas during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,716,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial grew its position in Ventas by 1,183.7% during the 3rd quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 12,773 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $819,000 after acquiring an additional 11,778 shares during the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ventas Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:VTR traded up $0.10 during trading on Friday, hitting $63.60. The stock had a trading volume of 3,191,042 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,409,642. The company has a market capitalization of $26.67 billion, a PE ratio of -372.63, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.36. 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's fifty day moving average is $64.19 and its 200 day moving average is $56.65. Ventas, Inc. has a 12 month low of $41.45 and a 12 month high of $67.61.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.83%. Ventas's payout ratio is -1,058.76%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $65,291,063.89. The trade was a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total value of $389,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 90,795 shares in the company, valued at $5,900,767.05. The trade was a 6.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 140,454 shares of company stock worth $9,263,815. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VTR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on 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 price target for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com raised Ventas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Wedbush upped their price target on Ventas from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $63.63.

Ventas 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.