Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Sells 7,999 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Key Points

• Gulf International Bank UK Ltd has reduced its holdings in Ventas, Inc. by 25.5%, selling 7,999 shares, leaving them with 23,336 shares valued at approximately $1.6 million.
• Ventas, Inc. reported stronger-than-expected earnings for the quarter, with an EPS of $0.87, surpassing estimates of $0.85 and displaying an 18.3% revenue increase year-over-year.
• Insider trading activity included significant share sales, with CFO Robert F. Probst selling nearly 30,000 shares and CEO Debra A. Cafaro selling over 10,000 shares in recent transactions.

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd decreased its holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 25.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,336 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 7,999 shares during the quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd's holdings in Ventas were worth $1,604,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Ventas during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Ventas by 1,334.6% during the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 373 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. Franchise Capital Ltd bought a new stake in Ventas during the first quarter valued at $32,000. Rossby Financial LCC bought a new stake in Ventas during the first quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich bought a new stake in Ventas during the first quarter valued at $41,000. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company's stock.

Ventas Trading Down 0.6%

VTR opened at $67.60 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.68. Ventas, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $56.68 and a fifty-two week high of $71.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.72 billion, a PE ratio of 157.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.87. The company's 50-day moving average is $65.06 and its 200 day moving average is $65.58.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company 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. The firm's revenue was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VTR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Ventas from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Ventas from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $70.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ventas currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $72.90.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 29,691 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.49, for a total value of $2,033,536.59. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 168,364 shares in the company, valued at $11,531,250.36. This represents a 14.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 10,322 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.40, for a total transaction of $695,702.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,145,695 shares in the company, valued at $77,219,843. This represents a 0.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 376,932 shares of company stock worth $24,716,734 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

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.

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