Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Shares Sold by Farmers Trust Co.

Farmers Trust Co. lowered its stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 6.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,342 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 303 shares during the quarter. Farmers Trust Co.’s holdings in Ventas were worth $256,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in VTR. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Ventas by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 8,120 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $521,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Profund Advisors LLC grew its stake in Ventas by 3.3% in the second quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 6,270 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Ventas by 3.7% in the third quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 5,639 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $362,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in Ventas by 3.9% during the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 5,832 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $374,000 after buying an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. lifted its holdings in Ventas by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. now owns 5,434 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $349,000 after buying an additional 232 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on VTR shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 target price on shares of Ventas in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Ventas from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $65.67.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.11, for a total value of $396,924.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,231,860.87. This represents a 0.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VTR opened at $58.23 on Thursday. Ventas, Inc. has a 12-month low of $41.45 and a 12-month high of $67.61. The company has a market cap of $24.43 billion, a PE ratio of -342.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.37. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $60.11. 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -1,058.82%.

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.