Norges Bank Takes Position in Ventas, Inc. $VTR

Norges Bank bought a new stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 5,459,059 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $344,740,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Ventas during the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ventas by 52.7% during the second quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 536 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Ventas during the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new position in shares of Ventas during the 1st quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 37.5% in the 1st quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 883 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 241 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VTR opened at $80.66 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $72.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 155.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.88. Ventas, Inc. has a 52 week low of $56.68 and a 52 week high of $80.99.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.01. Ventas had a net margin of 4.28% and a return on equity of 2.10%. The firm had revenue of $1.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.80 earnings per share. Ventas’s quarterly revenue was up 20.5% on a year-over-year basis. Ventas has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.450-3.480 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th were given a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is 369.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on VTR shares. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Ventas from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Ventas from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Ventas from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Ventas from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Ventas from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ventas presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $77.93.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 41,294 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.01, for a total value of $3,262,638.94. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,145,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $90,521,361.95. This trade represents a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 33,591 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.77, for a total value of $2,578,781.07. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 168,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,925,304.28. The trade was a 16.63% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 698,912 shares of company stock worth $51,454,499 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.80% 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.