Royal Bank of Canada Cuts Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Royal Bank of Canada decreased its holdings in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 22.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 766,369 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 218,460 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada owned 0.18% of Ventas worth $45,131,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VTR. Promus Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Ventas by 1,039.4% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 809 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 738 shares during the period. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in Ventas during the fourth quarter worth $48,000. Finally, Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Ventas during the fourth quarter worth $69,000. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Scotiabank upped their target price on Ventas from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Wedbush upped their target price on Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Argus set a $75.00 target price on Ventas in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Ventas from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ventas presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $73.00.

Ventas Stock Performance

VTR stock traded up $0.67 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $64.79. The stock had a trading volume of 430,286 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,748,379. The stock has a market cap of $29.24 billion, a PE ratio of 340.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $66.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $63.93. Ventas, Inc. has a 52-week low of $46.66 and a 52-week high of $71.36.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.32 billion. Ventas had a return on equity of 0.82% and a net margin of 1.65%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.78 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. Ventas's payout ratio is 581.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 69,592 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.59, for a total value of $4,494,947.28. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 168,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,874,630.76. The trade was a 29.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 41,294 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.08, for a total transaction of $2,852,589.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,138,143 shares in the company, valued at $78,622,918.44. This trade represents a 3.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 166,394 shares of company stock worth $11,235,529. Insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

Ventas 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.