Short Interest in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Grows By 162.0%

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 21,480,000 shares, a growth of 162.0% from the October 31st total of 8,200,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,730,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 7.9 days.

Ventas Stock Performance

NYSE:VTR opened at $64.55 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $27.08 billion, a PE ratio of -379.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.36. Ventas has a fifty-two week low of $41.45 and a fifty-two week high of $67.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $64.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $57.84.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.79%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is presently -1,058.76%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VTR. StockNews.com raised shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Wedbush upped their price target on shares of Ventas from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised Ventas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $63.63.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total value of $8,022,980.16. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,291,063.89. This trade represents a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total value of $389,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 90,795 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,900,767.05. This represents a 6.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 140,079 shares of company stock valued at $9,241,311 over the last three months. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in shares of Ventas by 14.1% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 92,117 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $4,009,000 after purchasing an additional 11,406 shares during the period. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Ventas by 40.5% in the first quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 8,810 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $375,000 after buying an additional 2,539 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 359.9% during the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 33,355 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,452,000 after buying an additional 26,102 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 1st quarter worth approximately $627,000. Finally, Swedbank AB bought a new stake in shares of Ventas in the 1st quarter valued at $19,551,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

About Ventas

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.