Andra AP fonden Increases Stock Holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Andra AP fonden lifted its stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 59.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 263,000 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 98,200 shares during the period. Andra AP fonden owned about 0.06% of Ventas worth $15,488,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $663,000. Candriam S.C.A. boosted its position in shares of Ventas by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 42,482 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,502,000 after buying an additional 2,321 shares during the last quarter. Carmel Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Ventas by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Carmel Capital Partners LLC now owns 7,947 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $468,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Inceptionr LLC boosted its position in shares of Ventas by 240.8% during the fourth quarter. Inceptionr LLC now owns 30,309 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,785,000 after buying an additional 21,415 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Ventas in the fourth quarter worth $9,573,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.18% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on VTR shares. Argus raised Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com raised Ventas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Ventas from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Mizuho cut their price objective on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised Ventas from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ventas has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $71.38.

Remove Ads

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of VTR opened at $67.84 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $29.66 billion, a PE ratio of 357.09, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.37. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $62.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $62.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Ventas, Inc. has a 1 year low of $41.45 and a 1 year high of $71.04.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a return on equity of 0.82% and a net margin of 1.65%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 EPS for the current 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 paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.83%. This is a positive change from Ventas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Ventas's payout ratio is presently 1,010.53%.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 214,679 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.22, for a total transaction of $14,645,401.38. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,138,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $77,644,115.46. The trade was a 15.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total value of $243,558.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $716,373. The trade was a 25.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 260,227 shares of company stock worth $17,769,097. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VTR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.