Allianz SE Takes $1.32 Million Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Allianz SE purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 22,588 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $1,322,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VTR. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. bought a new stake in Ventas in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Ventas by 66.2% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 527 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Promus Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Ventas in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ventas by 1,039.4% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 809 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 738 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total value of $243,558.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at $716,373. This trade represents a 25.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 388 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.00, for a total value of $27,548.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,128,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $80,098,153. This represents a 0.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 260,227 shares of company stock worth $17,769,097. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

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Ventas Trading Up 1.7 %

NYSE:VTR traded up $1.16 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $70.55. 2,529,590 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,043,900. The company's 50 day moving average is $65.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $63.35. The company has a market capitalization of $30.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 371.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.37. Ventas, Inc. has a twelve month low of $41.45 and a twelve month high of $71.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a net margin of 1.65% and a return on equity of 0.82%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.48 dividend. This is a boost from Ventas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Ventas's payout ratio is currently 1,010.53%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Ventas from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Ventas from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Baird R W raised Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Ventas from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Ventas from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $72.90.

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.