Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Shares Sold by Custom Index Systems LLC

Custom Index Systems LLC decreased its stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 41.0% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,152 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 2,188 shares during the quarter. Custom Index Systems LLC’s holdings in Ventas were worth $202,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in Ventas in the first quarter valued at about $1,005,000. Centersquare Investment Management LLC raised its position in Ventas by 11.5% during the first quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 7,806,396 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $345,667,000 after acquiring an additional 802,546 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Ventas in the first quarter worth approximately $819,000. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI acquired a new position in shares of Ventas during the 1st quarter worth $11,749,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ventas by 386.9% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 231,643 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $10,086,000 after purchasing an additional 184,065 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ventas Stock Performance

NYSE:VTR opened at $64.97 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $63.06 and its 200-day moving average is $54.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.58. Ventas, Inc. has a 52-week low of $40.98 and a 52-week high of $66.22.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.79 by ($0.74). Ventas had a negative net margin of 3.33% and a negative return on equity of 1.63%. The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.75 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.77%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is currently -449.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ventas

In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 40,079 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.29, for a total transaction of $2,296,125.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $56,529,016.93. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Ventas news, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 3,784 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.24, for a total value of $209,028.16. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 104,295 shares in the company, valued at $5,761,255.80. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 40,079 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.29, for a total value of $2,296,125.91. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $56,529,016.93. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 77,065 shares of company stock valued at $4,526,464 in the last 90 days. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Wolfe Research upgraded Ventas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com downgraded Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ventas currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $63.63.

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.