Guggenheim Capital LLC Cuts Stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Guggenheim Capital LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 76.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 32,955 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 104,762 shares during the quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC's holdings in Ventas were worth $1,941,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of VTR. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Ventas by 1.4% during the fourth 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 during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 2.2% during the 3rd 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 buying an additional 599,600 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,948,546 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $643,207,000 after buying an additional 537,253 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Ventas by 7.0% in 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 buying an additional 382,080 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Ventas in the fourth quarter worth $340,282,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on VTR shares. Mizuho raised their target price on Ventas from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Baird R W raised shares of Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Ventas from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Ventas from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Wedbush lifted their price target on shares of Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $72.90.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 214,679 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.22, for a total value of $14,645,401.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,138,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $77,644,115.46. This trade represents a 15.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,371 shares of the company's stock, valued at $716,373. The trade was a 25.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 304,778 shares of company stock worth $20,934,891. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Ventas Price Performance

VTR stock traded down $0.24 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $68.40. The company had a trading volume of 1,418,875 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,675,662. The company has a market capitalization of $29.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 360.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $67.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $63.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. Ventas, Inc. has a 12-month low of $42.88 and a 12-month high of $71.36.

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

Ventas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Ventas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.81%. Ventas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 1,010.53%.

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.