Insider Selling: Ventas (NYSE:VTR) CFO Sells $2,312,092.50 in Stock

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) CFO Robert Probst sold 29,930 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.25, for a total value of $2,312,092.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 138,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,694,026.50. This represents a 17.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Ventas Price Performance

NYSE VTR opened at $75.11 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $78.23 and a 200-day moving average price of $71.23. Ventas, Inc. has a 52 week low of $56.97 and a 52 week high of $81.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 144.45, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.78.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) 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 2.05%. The company had revenue of $1.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.80 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 20.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Ventas has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.450-3.480 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is 369.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Ventas from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Ventas from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Ventas in a report on Friday, September 19th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $73.00 target price for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $93.00 target price on shares of Ventas in a research note on Monday. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Ventas from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $79.81.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VTR. Aberdeen Group plc grew its stake in Ventas by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 1,460,098 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $90,409,000 after acquiring an additional 35,965 shares in the last quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario boosted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 1,019.0% in the second quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 133,061 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $8,403,000 after purchasing an additional 121,170 shares during the period. Nicola Wealth Management LTD. bought a new position in Ventas in the first quarter worth approximately $1,169,000. SCS Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Ventas in the second quarter worth approximately $13,788,000. Finally, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Ventas during the 2nd quarter worth $17,568,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.