Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Shares Acquired by Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lifted its stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 332,300 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 24,300 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in Ventas were worth $21,310,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in Ventas during the third quarter worth $80,000. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the third quarter worth $6,602,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 34,801 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,232,000 after buying an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,364,810 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,498,385,000 after buying an additional 982,795 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of Ventas by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 302,947 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $19,428,000 after buying an additional 10,134 shares during the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ventas Stock Up 0.5 %

Ventas stock opened at $64.54 on Friday. Ventas, Inc. has a 52 week low of $41.45 and a 52 week high of $67.61. The stock has a market cap of $27.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -379.62, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.36. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $64.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $57.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. 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 is presently -1,058.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,827 shares of the business’s 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. The trade was a 0.69 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 90,795 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 a total of 140,079 shares of company stock valued at $9,241,311 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Wedbush raised their target price on Ventas from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, 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 research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Two 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.