Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Shares Sold by Cetera Trust Company N.A

Cetera Trust Company N.A lowered its position in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,775 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 250 shares during the quarter. Cetera Trust Company N.A’s holdings in Ventas were worth $281,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Ventas by 2.2% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 27,557,480 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,767,261,000 after acquiring an additional 599,600 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Ventas by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,671,227 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,710,426,000 after purchasing an additional 581,870 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Ventas by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,364,810 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,498,385,000 after purchasing an additional 982,795 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ventas by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,411,293 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $665,559,000 after purchasing an additional 245,922 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Ventas by 105.2% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,420,322 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $347,605,000 after acquiring an additional 2,778,408 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,291,063.89. The trade was a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE VTR opened at $59.39 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. Ventas, Inc. has a 52 week low of $41.45 and a 52 week high of $67.61. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $60.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $60.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -352.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.37.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.03%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is presently -1,058.76%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on VTR. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Robert W. Baird raised Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com raised Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 target price on shares of Ventas in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.13.

About Ventas

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.