Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Shares Sold by Commerce Bank

Commerce Bank decreased its holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 11,268 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 430 shares during the quarter. Commerce Bank’s holdings in Ventas were worth $723,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in Ventas by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 8,120 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $521,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the period. Profund Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Ventas by 3.3% in the second quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 6,270 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $321,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ventas by 3.7% during the third quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 5,639 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $362,000 after acquiring an additional 203 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 5,832 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $374,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. boosted its stake in Ventas by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. now owns 5,434 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $349,000 after purchasing an additional 232 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Price Performance

NYSE VTR opened at $63.22 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.52 billion, a PE ratio of -371.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.36. Ventas, Inc. has a 12-month low of $41.45 and a 12-month high of $67.61. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $64.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $57.68.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is presently -1,058.82%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was 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 $65,291,063.89. This trade represents a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total transaction of $389,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 90,795 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,900,767.05. This represents a 6.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 140,079 shares of company stock valued at $9,241,311 over the last three months. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Scotiabank raised their price objective on 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 raised Ventas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Evercore ISI increased their price target 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 boosted their price objective 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $63.63.

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.