CIBC Asset Management Inc Grows Stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 10.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 59,761 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 5,421 shares during the quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc’s holdings in Ventas were worth $3,832,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in VTR. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new position in Ventas during the 2nd quarter valued at $135,425,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 2nd quarter valued at about $73,517,000. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI increased its position in shares of Ventas by 217.4% during the second quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 856,525 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $43,905,000 after buying an additional 586,676 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its stake in Ventas by 1,247.7% in the second quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 496,531 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $25,452,000 after buying an additional 459,689 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in Ventas in the first quarter worth about $19,551,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on VTR. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Ventas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ventas presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $63.63.

Insider Activity

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total transaction of $8,022,980.16. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,291,063.89. This represents a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total transaction of $389,940.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 90,795 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,900,767.05. The trade was a 6.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 140,454 shares of company stock worth $9,263,815 over the last 90 days. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of Ventas stock opened at $63.86 on Tuesday. Ventas, Inc. has a 1 year low of $41.45 and a 1 year high of $67.61. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $64.20 and its 200 day moving average is $57.09. The stock has a market cap of $26.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -375.62, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.82%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is presently -1,058.76%.

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.