Westpac Banking Corp Sells 19,193 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Key Points

• Westpac Banking Corp has decreased its holdings in Ventas, Inc. by 15.1%, selling 19,193 shares during the first quarter, leaving it with 107,932 shares valued at approximately $7.42 million.
• Multiple hedge funds made notable changes to their positions in Ventas, with Public Sector Pension Investment Board increasing its holdings by 81.0% and Nuveen LLC entering a new position worth $359 million.
• Wall Street analysts generally have a positive outlook on Ventas, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a price target of $72.90, despite one analyst issuing a sell rating.

Westpac Banking Corp reduced its holdings in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 15.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 107,932 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 19,193 shares during the period. Westpac Banking Corp's holdings in Ventas were worth $7,421,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in VTR. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Ventas during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Ventas by 1,334.6% during the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 373 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. Franchise Capital Ltd bought a new stake in Ventas during the first quarter worth about $32,000. Rossby Financial LCC bought a new stake in Ventas during the first quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich bought a new stake in Ventas during the first quarter worth about $41,000. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VTR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Scotiabank upped 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 upped their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Ventas from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $72.90.

Ventas Trading Down 0.6%

VTR stock traded down $0.41 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $67.60. 2,070,123 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,097,956. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $64.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.68. The company has a market cap of $30.72 billion, a PE ratio of 157.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.87. Ventas, Inc. has a one year low of $56.68 and a one year high of $71.36.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.02. Ventas had a return on equity of 1.75% and a net margin of 3.61%. The company had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.80 earnings per share. Ventas's revenue was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 168,318 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.36, for a total transaction of $11,001,264.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 168,364 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,004,271.04. This represents a 49.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Carey S. Roberts sold 23,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 116,650 shares in the company, valued at $7,492,429.50. This represents a 16.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 376,932 shares of company stock worth $24,716,734 over the last quarter. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.