Ventas, Inc. $VTR Shares Sold by Aberdeen Group plc

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group cut its Ventas stake by 41.1% in the third quarter, selling 681,723 shares; it retained 976,697 shares worth about $83 million.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with a consensus price target of $99.68; 17 analysts rate the stock Buy and four rate it Hold.
• Ventas reported quarterly revenue of $1.83 billion, up 23% year over year and above estimates, but EPS of $0.13 fell short of the $0.98 consensus. The company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.52 per share.

Aberdeen Group plc decreased its holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 41.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 976,697 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 681,723 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned 0.18% of Ventas worth $83,039,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dynamic Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Silvant Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Ventas in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Heritage Family Offices LLP acquired a new position in Ventas in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Ventas by 640.9% in the third quarter. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 326 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jacobi Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Ventas in the third quarter worth about $29,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Ventas from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Ventas from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Mizuho increased their target price on Ventas from $98.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Scotiabank increased their target price on Ventas from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Ventas from $102.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $99.68.

Ventas Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:VTR opened at $88.94 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average is $86.40 and its 200-day moving average is $87.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.43. Ventas, Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.82 and a 52 week high of $101.60. The company has a market capitalization of $47.03 billion, a PE ratio of 167.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 0.77.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by ($0.85). The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.77 billion. Ventas had a return on equity of 1.86% and a net margin of 3.86%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 23.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.88 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 30th. Ventas's dividend payout ratio is currently 392.45%.

About Ventas

Ventas, Inc. is a real estate investment trust focused on properties and services that support the health care and senior living sectors. Its portfolio includes senior housing communities, outpatient medical buildings, and research and life science facilities. The company owns and invests in properties across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Many of its communities and facilities are operated by health care and senior living providers, while Ventas provides real estate capital and asset management.

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