Townsend & Associates Inc Decreases Stock Holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Townsend & Associates Inc trimmed its stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 28.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 32,527 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 12,673 shares during the period. Townsend & Associates Inc's holdings in Ventas were worth $2,173,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VTR. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Ventas during the first quarter valued at about $65,000. Chicago Capital LLC purchased a new position in Ventas during the first quarter valued at approximately $579,000. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Ventas during the first quarter valued at approximately $879,000. Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its position in shares of Ventas by 48.4% in the fourth quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 39,760 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,341,000 after purchasing an additional 12,969 shares during the period. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its stake in Ventas by 34.1% in the 1st quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 36,657 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,521,000 after buying an additional 9,315 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ventas Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:VTR traded up $0.06 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $62.93. 2,707,497 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,881,771. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. Ventas, Inc. has a 52 week low of $51.40 and a 52 week high of $71.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 190.70, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.87. The firm's 50 day moving average is $64.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $63.99.

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

Ventas Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on VTR shares. Wall Street Zen cut Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Ventas from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Ventas from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Ventas from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. One investment 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.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $72.90.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In other news, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 17,374 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.22, for a total transaction of $1,133,132.28. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 168,364 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,980,700.08. This represents a 9.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a 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 dated 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,750,467.04. This represents a 5.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 165,586 shares of company stock valued at $10,997,929. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

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.