Barclays PLC Reduces Holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Barclays PLC lowered its stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 24.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 651,655 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 211,221 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned 0.16% of Ventas worth $38,377,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of VTR. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Ventas by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 66,501,010 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $3,916,244,000 after purchasing an additional 912,813 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Ventas by 2.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 27,557,480 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,767,261,000 after acquiring an additional 599,600 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Ventas by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,948,546 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $643,207,000 after acquiring an additional 537,253 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in Ventas by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,802,402 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $341,703,000 after acquiring an additional 382,080 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $340,282,000. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 388 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.00, for a total transaction of $27,548.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,128,143 shares in the company, valued at $80,098,153. This represents a 0.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total value of $243,558.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at $716,373. This represents a 25.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 304,778 shares of company stock valued at $20,934,891 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Ventas Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VTR traded up $0.36 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $68.65. The company had a trading volume of 442,265 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,670,768. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.05 billion, a PE ratio of 361.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.02. Ventas, Inc. has a twelve month low of $42.88 and a twelve month high of $71.36. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $67.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $63.66.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a net margin of 1.65% and a return on equity of 0.82%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.80%. This is an increase from Ventas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Ventas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 1,010.53%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on VTR shares. Argus set a $75.00 target price on shares of Ventas in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Ventas from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Ventas from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Baird R W upgraded shares of Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $72.90.

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.