National Bank of Canada FI Has $11.34 Million Stock Holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Key Points

• National Bank of Canada FI reduced its holdings in Ventas, Inc. by 17.9%, now owning 164,950 shares valued at approximately $11.34 million after selling 36,039 shares last quarter.
• Citigroup Inc. significantly increased its stake in Ventas by 73.8%, now holding 419,717 shares, while other investors, including Swiss National Bank and Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management, also raised their positions.
• Analysts have upped their price targets for Ventas, with Royal Bank of Canada raising it to $75 and JPMorgan Chase & Co. to $72, signaling a positive outlook despite some mixed ratings.

National Bank of Canada FI trimmed its position in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 17.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 164,950 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 36,039 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI's holdings in Ventas were worth $11,342,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Ventas in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in 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 during the period. Franchise Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Rossby Financial LCC acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 1st quarter worth approximately $41,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In other news, EVP Carey S. Roberts sold 23,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was 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 trade represents a 16.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 168,318 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.36, for a total value of $11,001,264.48. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 168,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,004,271.04. This trade represents a 49.99% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 376,932 shares of company stock worth $24,716,734. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VTR traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $67.56. 1,093,330 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,084,102. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 157.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.68. Ventas, Inc. has a 52 week low of $56.68 and a 52 week high of $71.36. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $65.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.58.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last announced 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. The company had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.37 billion. Ventas had a return on equity of 1.75% and a net margin of 3.61%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.80 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VTR has been the topic of several recent research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Ventas from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Ventas from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ventas from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $70.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Wall Street Zen lowered Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on Ventas from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $73.40.

About Ventas

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.