KBC Group NV Reduces Position in Ventas, Inc. $VTR

Key Points

• KBC Group NV cut its stake in Ventas by 54.2% in Q4, selling 371,255 shares and retaining 314,020 shares worth about $24.3 million (0.07% of the company).
• Ventas reported a sizeable Q4 earnings miss — GAAP EPS of $0.15 versus analysts' $0.89 — despite 21.7% year-over-year revenue growth, and set FY2026 guidance of 3.780–3.880 EPS.
• Senior insiders sold stock (CEO Debra Cafaro sold 10,322 shares; EVP Carey Roberts sold 35,532 shares, a 32.8% cut) even as Ventas raised its quarterly dividend to $0.52 (annualized $2.08, yield 2.4%) with a high payout ratio of 385%.

KBC Group NV decreased its stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 54.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 314,020 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 371,255 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned 0.07% of Ventas worth $24,298,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. PFG Investments LLC purchased a new position in Ventas during the fourth quarter worth $259,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in Ventas by 68.8% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 9,425 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $729,000 after buying an additional 3,840 shares in the last quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. increased its position in Ventas by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 6,790 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $525,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC increased its position in Ventas by 8.4% during the fourth quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 5,672 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $439,000 after buying an additional 440 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Patton Fund Management Inc. increased its position in Ventas by 2,443.4% during the fourth quarter. Patton Fund Management Inc. now owns 95,174 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $7,365,000 after buying an additional 91,432 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.18% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 10,322 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.66, for a total value of $801,606.52. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,114,034 shares of the company's stock, valued at $86,515,880.44. The trade was a 0.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Carey S. Roberts sold 35,532 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.00, for a total value of $3,020,220.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 72,755 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,184,175. This represents a 32.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ventas Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VTR opened at $85.12 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $40.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 157.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. Ventas, Inc. has a 52 week low of $61.76 and a 52 week high of $88.36. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $84.88 and a 200-day simple moving average of $79.06.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by ($0.74). The business had revenue of ($1,229.71) million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.53 billion. Ventas had a net margin of 4.31% and a return on equity of 2.09%. Ventas's revenue for the quarter was up 21.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.81 EPS. Ventas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.780-3.880 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a $0.52 dividend. This is an increase from Ventas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. Ventas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 385.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Ventas from $83.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Ventas in a research report on Friday, March 27th. KeyCorp raised their price target on Ventas from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Mizuho raised their price target on Ventas from $87.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $90.47.

Ventas Company Profile

Ventas, Inc NYSE: VTR is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that specializes in healthcare-related real estate. The company acquires, owns and manages a diversified portfolio of properties serving the healthcare continuum, including senior housing communities, skilled nursing facilities, medical office buildings, life science and research centers, and other properties leased to healthcare providers and operators. Ventas generates revenue through long-term leases, property management and selective development activities focused on meeting the real estate needs of the healthcare sector.

Ventas' business model combines property ownership with active asset management and capital markets activity.

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