New York State Teachers Retirement System Sells 18,113 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

New York State Teachers Retirement System trimmed its holdings in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 5.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 309,006 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 18,113 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.07% of Ventas worth $21,247,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Franchise Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in Ventas in the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. Promus Capital LLC bought a new stake in Ventas in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in Ventas by 1,039.4% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 809 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 738 shares during the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas in the fourth quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 53.9% in the first quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 811 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 284 shares during the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ventas Price Performance

Shares of VTR remained flat at $62.93 on Thursday. The stock had a trading volume of 1,328,700 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,882,258. The stock's 50 day moving average is $64.55 and its 200-day moving average is $63.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $28.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 190.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.87. Ventas, Inc. has a 1-year low of $51.57 and a 1-year high of $71.36.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.32 billion. Ventas had a net margin of 2.80% and a return on equity of 1.36%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.78 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. Ventas's dividend payout ratio is 581.82%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on VTR shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Ventas from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ventas from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the company from $70.00 to $72.00 in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Ventas from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Ventas from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Argus set a $75.00 price target on Ventas in a report on Friday, March 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $72.90.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 9,110 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.04, for a total transaction of $601,624.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,145,695 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $75,661,697.80. This trade represents a 0.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 1,459 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.76, for a total transaction of $93,025.84. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 27,454 shares in the company, valued at $1,750,467.04. This represents a 5.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 121,035 shares of company stock valued at $7,832,135. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.