Sarasin & Partners LLP Sells 6,851 Shares of Ventas, Inc. $VTR

Sarasin & Partners LLP cut its holdings in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 25.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,123 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 6,851 shares during the period. Sarasin & Partners LLP’s holdings in Ventas were worth $1,787,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Ventas by 856.1% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 7,926 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $545,000 after buying an additional 7,097 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in Ventas by 6.8% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 8,373 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $576,000 after acquiring an additional 536 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in Ventas by 46.8% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 36,826 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,532,000 after acquiring an additional 11,739 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth grew its holdings in Ventas by 130.4% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 21,613 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,486,000 after acquiring an additional 12,233 shares during the period. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL acquired a new stake in Ventas during the 2nd quarter worth $805,000. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Trading Down 0.3%

VTR opened at $92.22 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $89.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $86.05. The firm has a market cap of $47.30 billion, a PE ratio of 170.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.69. Ventas, Inc. has a twelve month low of $66.38 and a twelve month high of $101.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.44.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 385.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Scotiabank cut their price target on Ventas from $95.00 to $88.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Ventas from $91.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Ventas from $93.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Ventas from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $97.56.

Insider Activity

In other Ventas news, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 1,152 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.20, for a total transaction of $103,910.40. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 28,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,557,079.80. The trade was a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Michael J. Embler bought 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $78.81 per share, with a total value of $197,025.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 19,202 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,513,309.62. This trade represents a 14.97% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

About Ventas

Ventas, Inc (NYSE: VTR) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that specializes in healthcare-related real estate. The company acquires, owns and manages a diversified portfolio of properties serving the healthcare continuum, including senior housing communities, skilled nursing facilities, medical office buildings, life science and research centers, and other properties leased to healthcare providers and operators. Ventas generates revenue through long-term leases, property management and selective development activities focused on meeting the real estate needs of the healthcare sector.

Ventas’ business model combines property ownership with active asset management and capital markets activity.