Royal Bank of Canada Has $44.24 Million Stock Position in Ventas, Inc. $VTR

Royal Bank of Canada lessened its position in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 38.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 540,916 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 331,837 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada owned about 0.11% of Ventas worth $44,237,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Ventas by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 75,948,003 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $5,876,856,000 after purchasing an additional 2,349,176 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Ventas by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,662,635 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,309,234,000 after buying an additional 735,620 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Ventas by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,988,943 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,001,447,000 after buying an additional 475,633 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in shares of Ventas by 27.9% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 9,176,254 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $710,060,000 after buying an additional 2,000,341 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors bought a new stake in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter worth approximately $594,116,000. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ventas news, Director Michael J. Embler bought 2,500 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $78.81 per share, for a total transaction of $197,025.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 19,202 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,513,309.62. The trade was a 14.97% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 1,152 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.20, for a total value of $103,910.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 28,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,557,079.80. The trade was a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ventas Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:VTR opened at $93.94 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $88.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $85.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.44. The company has a market capitalization of $45.67 billion, a PE ratio of 173.96, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.69. Ventas, Inc. has a 52 week low of $65.82 and a 52 week high of $101.60.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Ventas's dividend payout ratio is currently 385.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on VTR. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Ventas from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Ventas from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on Ventas from $97.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on Ventas in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $99.00 target price on the stock. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $97.00.

Ventas 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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