Robert F. Probst Sells 18,500 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Stock

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) CFO Robert F. Probst sold 18,500 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.11, for a total transaction of $871,535.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 176,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,310,345.33. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Ventas Stock Performance

VTR stock traded up $0.31 on Wednesday, hitting $47.44. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,629,620 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,392,118. Ventas, Inc. has a 1 year low of $39.33 and a 1 year high of $50.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. The stock has a market cap of $19.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -248.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.25. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $43.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.25.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Investors of record on Monday, April 1st were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 28th. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is currently -947.37%.

Institutional Trading of Ventas

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 77.9% during the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 514 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the period. Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its position in Ventas by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 3,881 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $193,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in Ventas by 14.6% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,954 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the period. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. increased its position in Ventas by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 9,493 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $473,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Square LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Square LLC now owns 10,569 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $456,000 after buying an additional 253 shares during the period. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on VTR shares. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $46.00 price objective (down previously from $52.00) on shares of Ventas in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Evercore ISI upgraded Ventas from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Ventas in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $60.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America upgraded shares of Ventas from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $48.00 to $53.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ventas has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $51.25.

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.