National Bank of Canada FI Sells 616,317 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

National Bank of Canada FI lowered its position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 80.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 151,210 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 616,317 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI's holdings in Ventas were worth $7,647,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in shares of Ventas by 151.1% in the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 796 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 479 shares during the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC lifted its position in Ventas by 82.7% during the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 718 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Ventas in the third quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 73.4% in the 4th quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,408 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 596 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company's stock.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VTR traded up $0.01 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $47.56. The company had a trading volume of 1,134,872 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,373,472. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $43.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $45.28. The stock has a market cap of $19.25 billion, a P/E ratio of -250.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.25. Ventas, Inc. has a 1 year low of $39.33 and a 1 year high of $50.99.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.78%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 28th. Ventas's payout ratio is currently -947.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ventas news, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 18,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.11, for a total value of $871,535.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 176,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,310,345.33. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI raised Ventas from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $50.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, March 18th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $46.00 price target (down from $52.00) on shares of Ventas in a research report on Monday, February 26th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Bank of America upgraded Ventas from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $48.00 to $53.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Ventas in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. They set a "buy" rating and a $60.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $51.25.

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.