Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Shares Bought by GAMMA Investing LLC

GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 14.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,349 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 906 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Ventas were worth $471,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Czech National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 9.1% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 84,163 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $5,397,000 after acquiring an additional 7,030 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in Ventas by 4.0% in the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 255,364 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $16,376,000 after purchasing an additional 9,739 shares during the period. LifePlan Financial LLC boosted its stake in Ventas by 30.7% during the 3rd quarter. LifePlan Financial LLC now owns 15,357 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $985,000 after purchasing an additional 3,606 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its position in shares of Ventas by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 11,740 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $753,000 after purchasing an additional 603 shares during the period. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its stake in shares of Ventas by 8.8% in the 2nd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 308,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $15,788,000 after buying an additional 25,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 3,784 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.24, for a total value of $209,028.16. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 104,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,761,255.80. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 40,079 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.29, for a total value of $2,296,125.91. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $56,529,016.93. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 3,784 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.24, for a total transaction of $209,028.16. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 104,295 shares in the company, valued at $5,761,255.80. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 77,065 shares of company stock worth $4,526,464 in the last quarter. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ventas Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:VTR opened at $62.70 on Thursday. Ventas, Inc. has a 1 year low of $40.93 and a 1 year high of $65.64. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $61.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $52.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.90 billion, a PE ratio of -328.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.36.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by ($0.74). The company had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.19 billion. Ventas had a negative net margin of 3.33% and a negative return on equity of 1.63%. The business’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.75 EPS. Analysts expect that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.87%. Ventas’s payout ratio is presently -947.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on VTR. Scotiabank raised their target price on Ventas from $55.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. StockNews.com raised shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price 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. Wedbush lifted their price target on shares of Ventas from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $61.11.

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.