Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Shares Sold by Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. reduced its stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 13.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,543,710 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 548,496 shares during the quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owned about 0.88% of Ventas worth $176,619,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ventas by 4.5% during the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 15,282 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $644,000 after buying an additional 655 shares in the last quarter. Pathstone Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ventas during the 3rd quarter worth $382,000. Capital Square LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 2.5% during the third quarter. Capital Square LLC now owns 10,569 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $456,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Prudential PLC grew its position in shares of Ventas by 6.7% in the third quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 18,861 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $795,000 after purchasing an additional 1,185 shares during the period. Finally, Rafferty Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Ventas by 5.5% in the third quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 44,954 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,894,000 after purchasing an additional 2,350 shares during the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on VTR shares. Evercore ISI raised Ventas from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Ventas from $47.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Ventas from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ventas has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $51.46.

Ventas Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:VTR traded up $0.06 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $50.10. 1,944,336 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,979,094. Ventas, Inc. has a twelve month low of $39.33 and a twelve month high of $50.99. The company has a market cap of $20.28 billion, a PE ratio of -263.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.63. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $46.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $46.25.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 1st will be given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 1st. Ventas’s payout ratio is -947.32%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 2,145 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.40, for a total transaction of $103,818.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 26,031 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,259,900.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 2,145 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.40, for a total transaction of $103,818.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 26,031 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,259,900.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 18,500 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.11, for a total value of $871,535.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 176,403 shares in the company, valued at $8,310,345.33. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 35,270 shares of company stock worth $1,672,966. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.