Robert F. Probst Sells 18,500 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Stock

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) CFO Robert F. Probst sold 18,500 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.11, for a total value of $871,535.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 176,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,310,345.33. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Ventas Price Performance

Shares of VTR opened at $47.55 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. The stock has a market cap of $19.25 billion, a P/E ratio of -250.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.25. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $43.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $45.26. Ventas, Inc. has a 1 year low of $39.33 and a 1 year high of $50.99.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Investors of record on Monday, April 1st were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.79%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 28th. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is currently -947.37%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventas

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ventas in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ventas by 77.9% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 514 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the first quarter worth about $30,000. Gradient Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 82.7% during the 4th quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 718 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ventas during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on VTR. Evercore ISI raised shares of Ventas from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Ventas in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $60.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $46.00 price objective (down from $52.00) on shares of Ventas in a research report on Monday, February 26th. StockNews.com downgraded Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Ventas from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $48.00 to $53.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $51.25.

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.