Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Shares Sold by Bridgewater Associates LP

Bridgewater Associates LP lowered its position in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 32.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,517 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 5,125 shares during the quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP’s holdings in Ventas were worth $674,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of VTR. BDF Gestion purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the second quarter valued at $3,716,000. Friedenthal Financial increased its stake in shares of Ventas by 1,183.7% during the 3rd quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 12,773 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $819,000 after acquiring an additional 11,778 shares during the last quarter. Tandem Capital Management Corp ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 62.1% during the 3rd quarter. Tandem Capital Management Corp ADV now owns 27,730 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,778,000 after acquiring an additional 10,620 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas in the third quarter worth approximately $544,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in Ventas by 480.0% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 35,325 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,538,000 after purchasing an additional 29,235 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Price Performance

Shares of VTR stock opened at $62.23 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $64.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $58.14. The company has a market capitalization of $26.11 billion, a PE ratio of -366.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.36. Ventas, Inc. has a twelve month low of $41.45 and a twelve month high of $67.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.89%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is presently -1,058.82%.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In other news, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total value of $389,940.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 90,795 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,900,767.05. The trade was a 6.20 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,827 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.20, for a total transaction of $431,466.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at $62,360,514.40. The trade was a 0.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 140,079 shares of company stock valued at $9,241,311. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wedbush lifted their price target on shares of Ventas from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Wolfe Research raised Ventas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com upgraded Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.