Avanza Fonder AB Purchases New Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 42,430 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $2,499,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in Ventas by 862.7% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,932,017 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $252,160,000 after buying an additional 3,523,594 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of Ventas by 105.2% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,420,322 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $347,605,000 after purchasing an additional 2,778,408 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Ventas by 4.4% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,364,810 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,498,385,000 after purchasing an additional 982,795 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Ventas by 2.2% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 27,557,480 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,767,261,000 after buying an additional 599,600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI raised its holdings in Ventas by 217.4% during the second quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 856,525 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $43,905,000 after buying an additional 586,676 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.18% of the company's stock.

Ventas Stock Performance

VTR traded up $0.49 on Friday, hitting $58.85. 2,972,943 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,830,855. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $60.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $60.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. Ventas, Inc. has a 52 week low of $41.45 and a 52 week high of $67.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.69 billion, a PE ratio of -346.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.37.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. Ventas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,058.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $75.00 target price on shares of Ventas in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ventas from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Baird R W upgraded Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Two equities research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $67.13.

Insider Activity

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total transaction 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 approximately $65,291,063.89. The trade was a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate 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.