Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Short Interest Up 162.0% in November

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 21,480,000 shares, an increase of 162.0% from the October 31st total of 8,200,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,730,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 7.9 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Ventas Stock Performance

NYSE VTR opened at $64.55 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $27.08 billion, a PE ratio of -379.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. Ventas has a 52-week low of $41.45 and a 52-week high of $67.61. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $64.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $57.84.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st were issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.79%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,058.76%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of Ventas 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 owns 90,795 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,900,767.05. This trade represents a 6.20 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,827 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.20, for a total transaction of $431,466.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,360,514.40. The trade was a 0.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 140,079 shares of company stock worth $9,241,311 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ventas by 11.5% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,252,460 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $80,070,000 after buying an additional 128,945 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp increased its holdings in Ventas by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 12,712 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $815,000 after acquiring an additional 1,336 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC raised its stake in Ventas by 18.4% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 9,952 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $634,000 after acquiring an additional 1,550 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Ventas by 29.1% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 32,455 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,063,000 after purchasing an additional 7,307 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its position in Ventas by 3.0% during the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 202,965 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $13,016,000 after purchasing an additional 5,870 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.18% 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.