CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co Reduces Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co trimmed its holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 0.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 879,940 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 3,872 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co owned 0.22% of Ventas worth $38,322,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of VTR. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Ventas by 77.9% in the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 514 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN purchased a new position in Ventas during the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. Gradient Investments LLC boosted its stake in Ventas by 82.7% during the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 718 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Ventas in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Ventas in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ventas news, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 2,145 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.40, for a total value of $103,818.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 26,031 shares in the company, valued at $1,259,900.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 2,145 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 26,031 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,259,900.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 14,625 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.70, for a total transaction of $697,612.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 12,524 shares in the company, valued at $597,394.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 35,270 shares of company stock worth $1,672,966 over the last 90 days. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ventas Price Performance

NYSE:VTR traded down $0.15 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $53.38. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 512,897 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,266,244. Ventas, Inc. has a 52-week low of $39.33 and a 52-week high of $54.51. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $50.56 and a 200-day moving average of $46.88.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 1st were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 1st. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -947.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VTR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Ventas from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Ventas from $53.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. StockNews.com upgraded Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their target price on Ventas from $47.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $51.92.

Ventas 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.