Vestcor Inc Boosts Stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Vestcor Inc lifted its position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 6.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 113,355 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 6,887 shares during the period. Vestcor Inc's holdings in Ventas were worth $7,794,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VTR. DAVENPORT & Co LLC bought a new position in Ventas during the first quarter valued at approximately $276,000. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in Ventas during the first quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Ventas by 40.9% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 34,773 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,391,000 after purchasing an additional 10,091 shares during the period. Chicago Capital LLC bought a new position in Ventas during the first quarter valued at approximately $579,000. Finally, Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Ventas during the first quarter valued at approximately $13,321,000. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company's stock.

Ventas Price Performance

VTR stock traded up $0.34 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $67.52. The company had a trading volume of 2,813,818 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,127,350. The company has a market capitalization of $30.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 157.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.87. Ventas, Inc. has a 12-month low of $55.24 and a 12-month high of $71.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $64.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $64.96.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.02. Ventas had a net margin of 3.61% and a return on equity of 1.78%. The business had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.80 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Ventas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 581.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ventas

In related news, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 168,318 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.36, for a total value of $11,001,264.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 168,364 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,004,271.04. This trade represents a 49.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Carey S. Roberts sold 23,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.23, for a total transaction of $1,509,405.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 116,650 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,492,429.50. The trade was a 16.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 334,478 shares of company stock worth $21,813,565 in the last 90 days. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VTR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Ventas from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Scotiabank increased their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ventas from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $70.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $72.90.

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.