Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Has $3.75 Million Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans cut its position in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 58.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 58,406 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 82,102 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Ventas were worth $3,746,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new stake 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 worth about $73,517,000. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI grew its stake in Ventas by 217.4% in the 2nd 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 last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its holdings in Ventas by 1,247.7% in the 2nd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 496,531 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $25,452,000 after acquiring an additional 459,689 shares during the period. Finally, Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in Ventas during the first quarter worth approximately $19,551,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,827 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.20, for a total transaction of $431,466.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at $62,360,514.40. The trade was a 0.69 % 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 link. Also, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 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. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 140,079 shares of company stock valued at $9,241,311. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Stock Down 0.5 %

VTR stock opened at $63.22 on Tuesday. Ventas, Inc. has a 52 week low of $41.45 and a 52 week high of $67.61. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $64.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $57.68. 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 company has a market cap 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 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 given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. Ventas’s payout ratio is presently -1,058.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on VTR. StockNews.com raised Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Wedbush lifted their price objective on shares of Ventas from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $63.63.

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.