First Trust Advisors LP Raises Holdings in Ventas, Inc. $VTR

First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 39.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 477,094 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 135,664 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.10% of Ventas worth $30,128,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Ventas in the second quarter valued at $33,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ventas by 52.7% in the 2nd quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 536 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas in the second quarter valued at about $35,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in Ventas during the first quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in Ventas by 61.3% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 974 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 370 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 317,258 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.24, for a total transaction of $23,553,233.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,145,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $85,056,396.80. This represents a 21.69% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 3,924 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.00, for a total transaction of $294,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 112,564 shares in the company, valued at $8,442,300. This represents a 3.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 688,590 shares of company stock worth $50,754,668. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ventas Stock Performance

NYSE:VTR opened at $77.55 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $36.43 billion, a PE ratio of 149.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.78. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $74.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $69.13. Ventas, Inc. has a 1-year low of $56.68 and a 1-year high of $81.89.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.44 billion. Ventas had a net margin of 4.28% and a return on equity of 2.05%. Ventas’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.80 EPS. Ventas has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.450-3.480 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 369.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on VTR shares. Argus reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Ventas from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Ventas from $72.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Citigroup raised their price target on Ventas from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of Ventas from $70.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $78.40.

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.