Rafferty Asset Management LLC Sells 7,534 Shares of Ventas, Inc. $VTR

Key Points

• Rafferty Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in Ventas, Inc. by 13.6%, now holding 47,662 shares valued at approximately $3.28 million.
• Ventas has seen significant insider selling, with CFO Robert F. Probst and CEO Debra A. Cafaro collectively selling over 40,000 shares recently.
• Analysts have a mixed outlook on Ventas, with price targets ranging from $70.00 to $75.00, reflecting high expectations amid recent performance.

Rafferty Asset Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 13.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 47,662 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 7,534 shares during the period. Rafferty Asset Management LLC's holdings in Ventas were worth $3,277,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of VTR. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Ventas during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares during the period. Franchise Capital Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Ventas in the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Rossby Financial LCC acquired a new position in shares of Ventas in the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich acquired a new position in shares of Ventas in the 1st quarter valued at $41,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VTR has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $78.00 price target (up previously from $74.00) on shares of Ventas in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Ventas from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Argus restated a "buy" rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Ventas from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $74.36.

Ventas Price Performance

NYSE:VTR traded down $0.38 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $67.54. The company had a trading volume of 833,099 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,046,531. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $66.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.24. Ventas, Inc. has a one year low of $56.68 and a one year high of $71.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.70 billion, a PE ratio of 157.11, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.02. Ventas had a return on equity of 1.75% and a net margin of 3.61%.The firm had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.80 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Ventas has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.410-3.46 EPS. Analysts forecast that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 168,318 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.36, for a total transaction of $11,001,264.48. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 168,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,004,271.04. This represents a 49.99% 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, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 14,753 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.60, for a total transaction of $967,796.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,145,695 shares in the company, valued at $75,157,592. This trade represents a 1.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 266,466 shares of company stock worth $17,579,249. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ventas Company 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.