Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Shares Sold by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC cut its position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR – Get Rating) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 89,077 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 2,840 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ventas were worth $4,018,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of VTR. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new position in shares of Ventas in the first quarter valued at about $41,000. US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in Ventas by 21.1% during the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 13,542 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $837,000 after acquiring an additional 2,356 shares during the period. Panagora Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Ventas by 90.0% during the first quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 20,191 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,247,000 after acquiring an additional 9,563 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. acquired a new stake in Ventas during the first quarter worth about $271,000. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its holdings in Ventas by 6.0% during the first quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 14,712 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $924,000 after acquiring an additional 835 shares during the period. 91.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays dropped their target price on Ventas from $57.00 to $55.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 25th. Credit Suisse Group dropped their target price on Ventas from $51.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 12th. StockNews.com raised Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 11th. KeyCorp dropped their price objective on Ventas from $56.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 1st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Ventas from $56.00 to $54.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $54.92.

Ventas Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE VTR opened at $44.77 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $44.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.37. Ventas, Inc. has a 1-year low of $35.33 and a 1-year high of $58.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.63.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 3rd will be given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 30th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.02%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -999.94%.

Ventas Profile

(Get Rating)

Ventas, Inc engages in the acquisition and ownership of seniors housing and healthcare properties. It operates through the following segments: Triple-Net Leased Properties, Senior Housing Operating Portfolio (SHOP), and Office Operations. The Triple-Net Leased Properties segment invests in and owns senior housing and healthcare properties.