118,075 Shares in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Bought by American Assets Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• American Assets Investment Management LLC acquired 118,075 shares of Ventas, Inc., valued at approximately $8.12 million, making it the 11th largest holding in their investment portfolio.
• Insider trading activity included EVP Carey S. Roberts and CFO Robert F. Probst, who sold significant shares, reducing their ownership, while corporate insiders own only 0.80% of the company.
• Ventas reported a quarterly earnings of $0.87 per share, beating expectations, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.48 per share, translating to an annual yield of 2.89%.

American Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 118,075 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $8,119,000. Ventas makes up about 3.4% of American Assets Investment Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 11th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ventas in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Ventas by 1,334.6% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 373 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Franchise Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Ventas in the 1st quarter worth $32,000. Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new position in shares of Ventas during the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich purchased a new position in shares of Ventas during the 1st quarter worth about $41,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Ventas from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ventas from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $72.00 in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $72.90.

Ventas Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE VTR traded up $0.34 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $67.52. 2,813,818 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,577,380. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. Ventas, Inc. has a 12 month low of $55.24 and a 12 month high of $71.36. The company has a market cap of $30.47 billion, a PE ratio of 157.02, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.87. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $64.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $65.03.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.02. Ventas had a net margin of 3.61% and a return on equity of 1.75%. The business had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.80 EPS. Ventas's revenue for the quarter was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Ventas's dividend payout ratio is presently 581.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ventas

In other Ventas news, EVP Carey S. Roberts sold 23,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.23, for a total transaction of $1,509,405.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 116,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,492,429.50. This represents a 16.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 168,318 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.36, for a total transaction of $11,001,264.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 168,364 shares in the company, valued at $11,004,271.04. This trade represents a 49.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 348,700 shares of company stock worth $22,776,223. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.