Voya Investment Management LLC Sells 6,630 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Voya Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 5.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 119,216 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 6,630 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Ventas were worth $7,021,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VTR. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. bought a new stake in Ventas in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Ventas by 66.2% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 527 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Promus Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ventas in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Ventas by 1,039.4% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 809 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 738 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Stock Performance

VTR stock opened at $69.12 on Wednesday. Ventas, Inc. has a twelve month low of $43.64 and a twelve month high of $71.36. The firm has a market cap of $30.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 363.81, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.02. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $67.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $63.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a net margin of 1.65% and a return on equity of 0.82%. Analysts predict that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.78%. This is a boost from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is 1,010.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on VTR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Ventas from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Baird R W upgraded shares of Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Ventas from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.90.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total transaction of $243,558.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $716,373. This trade represents a 25.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 214,679 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.22, for a total transaction of $14,645,401.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,138,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $77,644,115.46. This trade represents a 15.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 304,778 shares of company stock worth $20,934,891 in the last ninety days. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.