Vestcor Inc Decreases Stock Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Vestcor Inc reduced its stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 38.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 84,747 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 52,991 shares during the period. Vestcor Inc's holdings in Ventas were worth $5,435,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas during the second quarter worth $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the second quarter worth $41,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the third quarter worth $48,000. Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the second quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the third quarter worth $64,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ventas Stock Up 0.1 %

VTR traded up $0.09 on Tuesday, hitting $61.15. The company had a trading volume of 1,980,638 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,409,219. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Ventas, Inc. has a 52-week low of $41.45 and a 52-week high of $67.61. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $63.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $58.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.65 billion, a P/E ratio of -359.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.36.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.94%. Ventas's payout ratio is -1,058.82%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the firm'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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares of the company's stock, valued at $65,291,063.89. This trade represents a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on VTR shares. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. StockNews.com raised Ventas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised Ventas from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Scotiabank increased their target price on 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 increased their target price on Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.