Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Sells 688,801 Shares of Ventas, Inc. $VTR

Key Points

• Massachusetts Financial Services trimmed its stake in Ventas by 12.4%, selling 688,801 shares and finishing the quarter with 4,867,496 shares (about 1.04% ownership) valued at roughly $376.65 million.
• Ventas posted a sharp quarterly EPS miss of $0.15 versus $0.89 expected despite year-over-year revenue growth, and set FY2026 guidance of $3.78–$3.88 in EPS versus analysts' ~3.4 estimate.
• Company insiders sold stock (CEO Debra Cafaro sold 10,322 shares; EVP Carey Roberts sold 35,532 shares) even as Ventas raised its quarterly dividend to $0.52 (from $0.48) for a 2.4% yield, while analysts maintain a consensus "Moderate Buy" with a $90.47 target.

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lessened its holdings in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 12.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,867,496 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 688,801 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned approximately 1.04% of Ventas worth $376,647,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Arbor Capital Management Inc. ADV raised its position in Ventas by 0.6% during the third quarter. Arbor Capital Management Inc. ADV now owns 21,716 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,520,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in Ventas by 32.0% during the fourth quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 569 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New grew its holdings in Ventas by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 4,396 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $341,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Ventas by 3.3% during the third quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,447 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Checchi Capital Advisers LLC grew its holdings in Ventas by 3.9% during the third quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 4,603 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $322,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ventas

In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 10,322 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.66, for a total value of $801,606.52. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,114,034 shares in the company, valued at approximately $86,515,880.44. This trade represents a 0.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Carey S. Roberts sold 35,532 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.00, for a total transaction of $3,020,220.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 72,755 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,184,175. The trade was a 32.81% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

Ventas Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of Ventas stock opened at $84.95 on Friday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $84.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $78.56. The company has a market cap of $40.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 157.32, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. Ventas, Inc. has a 1 year low of $61.76 and a 1 year high of $88.36.

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

Ventas Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Ventas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Ventas's dividend payout ratio is 385.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on VTR shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Ventas from $88.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Ventas from $83.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Ventas from $88.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Argus set a $88.00 price target on Ventas in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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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