Cetera Investment Advisers Lowers Stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Cetera Investment Advisers cut its position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 4.0% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 33,897 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 1,428 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in Ventas were worth $1,738,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Centersquare Investment Management LLC raised its holdings 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 during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Ventas by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,931,538 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $304,047,000 after purchasing an additional 96,482 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in Ventas by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,489,159 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $239,000,000 after purchasing an additional 413,564 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new position in Ventas in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $135,425,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its holdings in Ventas by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,756,752 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $90,051,000 after buying an additional 7,585 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of VTR stock opened at $63.93 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $26.41 billion, a PE ratio of -159.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.36. Ventas, Inc. has a 1 year low of $40.98 and a 1 year high of $65.64. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $61.88 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $53.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.58.

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

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.82%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is presently -449.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VTR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com raised shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Scotiabank increased their price target on Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wedbush lifted their price objective on Ventas from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Two 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ventas has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $63.63.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ventas news, 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 value of $389,940.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 90,795 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,900,767.05. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Ventas news, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total value of $389,940.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 90,795 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,900,767.05. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,827 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.20, for a total value of $431,466.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $62,360,514.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 77,065 shares of company stock valued at $4,526,464. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Company 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.