Hsbc Holdings PLC Reduces Stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Hsbc Holdings PLC lessened its stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 38.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,226,354 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 764,229 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned about 0.30% of Ventas worth $62,750,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Centersquare Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ventas by 11.5% in the first quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 7,806,396 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $345,667,000 after acquiring an additional 802,546 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Ventas by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,931,538 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $304,047,000 after purchasing an additional 96,482 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in shares of Ventas by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,489,159 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $239,000,000 after purchasing an additional 413,564 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new position in shares of Ventas in the second quarter worth $135,425,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its holdings in shares of Ventas by 2.3% in the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,749,167 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $76,159,000 after purchasing an additional 40,000 shares during the period. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ventas Trading Down 3.1 %

NYSE VTR opened at $62.20 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $25.70 billion, a PE ratio of -327.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.36. Ventas, Inc. has a 1-year low of $39.33 and a 1-year high of $65.64. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $58.71 and a 200-day moving average of $50.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.79 by ($0.74). Ventas had a negative net margin of 3.33% and a negative return on equity of 1.63%. The company had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.75 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.18 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -947.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on VTR shares. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Ventas from $55.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Wedbush boosted their price objective on Ventas from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Ventas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $57.45.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total value of $389,940.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 90,795 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,900,767.05. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 40,079 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.29, for a total value of $2,296,125.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $56,529,016.93. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total value of $389,940.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 90,795 shares in the company, valued at $5,900,767.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 77,065 shares of company stock valued at $4,526,464. Company insiders own 1.00% 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.