Vanderbilt University Increases Stock Position in Ventas, Inc. $VTR

Key Points

• Vanderbilt University significantly increased its stake in Ventas, Inc. by 304.6% during Q2, acquiring a total of 40,511 shares valued at approximately $2.56 million.
• Insider trading activity revealed that CEO Debra A. Cafaro and CFO Robert F. Probst sold significant amounts of stock, decreasing their ownership stakes by 1.27% and 49.99%, respectively.
• Analysts have raised their price targets for Ventas, with estimates now ranging between $75.00 and $80.00, reflecting a generally positive outlook on the company's performance.

Vanderbilt University raised its holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 304.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 40,511 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 30,498 shares during the quarter. Vanderbilt University's holdings in Ventas were worth $2,558,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Ventas by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 4,440 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $305,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ventas by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,674 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $734,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems grew its stake in shares of Ventas by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 28,574 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,965,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ventas by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,896 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $199,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP grew its stake in shares of Ventas by 17.9% in the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,313 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 14,753 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.60, for a total transaction of $967,796.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,145,695 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $75,157,592. This represents a 1.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 168,318 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 14th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at $11,004,271.04. This trade represents a 49.99% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 292,110 shares of company stock worth $19,354,742 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VTR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Ventas from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Argus reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of Ventas in a research note on Wednesday. They set an "overweight" rating and a $77.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Ventas from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Ventas from $72.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $75.23.

Ventas Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE VTR opened at $69.63 on Friday. Ventas, Inc. has a 12-month low of $56.68 and a 12-month high of $71.36. The company has a market capitalization of $31.64 billion, a PE ratio of 161.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The firm's 50-day moving average is $68.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.37.

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

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Ventas's dividend payout ratio is presently 446.51%.

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.

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