Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Raises Stock Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 480.7% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 26,214 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 21,700 shares during the period. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.’s holdings in Ventas were worth $1,681,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VTR. First Community Trust NA acquired a new stake in Ventas during the second quarter worth about $25,000. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new position in Ventas in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Ventas in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $51,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of Ventas 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,291,063.89. The trade was a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total value of $389,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 90,795 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,900,767.05. The trade was a 6.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 140,079 shares of company stock worth $9,241,311 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Price Performance

NYSE:VTR opened at $64.07 on Friday. Ventas, Inc. has a one year low of $41.45 and a one year high of $67.61. The stock has a market cap of $26.88 billion, a PE ratio of -376.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $64.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.00.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.81%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,058.82%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on VTR. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Wolfe Research upgraded Ventas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Wedbush increased their price target on Ventas from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. 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 report on Monday, September 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ventas currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $63.63.

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.