Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Shares Sold by Gulf International Bank UK Ltd

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd reduced its stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 31,335 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 277 shares during the quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in Ventas were worth $1,845,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VTR. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. acquired a new position in Ventas in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Ventas by 66.2% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 527 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ventas in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in Ventas in the third quarter valued at approximately $64,000. Finally, Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. acquired a new position in Ventas in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $67,000. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on VTR. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Ventas from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. StockNews.com upgraded Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Scotiabank upped their price target on Ventas from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday. Baird R W upgraded Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $71.14.

Ventas Stock Up 0.8 %

Ventas stock opened at $69.18 on Friday. Ventas, Inc. has a twelve month low of $41.45 and a twelve month high of $69.25. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $61.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $62.26. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $30.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 364.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.37.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.78%. This is a positive change from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 1,010.53%.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In related news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total value of $243,558.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $716,373. This represents a 25.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 214,679 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 1,138,143 shares in the company, valued at $77,644,115.46. This trade represents a 15.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

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.