HighTower Advisors LLC Sells 23,654 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

HighTower Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 24.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 71,223 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 23,654 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ventas were worth $4,567,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new position in Ventas in the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ventas during the second quarter worth about $41,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Ventas during the third quarter worth about $48,000. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Ventas in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $74,000. Finally, Tobam bought a new stake in Ventas in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $79,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. StockNews.com raised shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Scotiabank upped 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. Two 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $65.63.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.11, for a total transaction of $396,924.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,231,860.87. This trade represents a 0.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ventas Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:VTR opened at $61.15 on Wednesday. Ventas, Inc. has a 52-week low of $41.45 and a 52-week high of $67.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $25.65 billion, a P/E ratio of -359.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $63.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.71.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.94%. Ventas’s payout ratio is -1,058.82%.

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.