Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Has $296.10 Million Stock Holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,028,015 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 123,937 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 1.20% of Ventas worth $296,100,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in VTR. D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its stake in Ventas by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 34,973 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,060,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in Ventas by 17.0% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,221 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the period. Eastern Bank raised its stake in Ventas by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 3,308 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $195,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 66.2% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 527 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in Ventas by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 24,161 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,549,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of Ventas stock opened at $70.50 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. Ventas, Inc. has a 52 week low of $41.45 and a 52 week high of $71.04. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $61.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $62.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 371.07, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.37.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Ventas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.72%. Ventas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 1,010.53%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on VTR shares. Baird R W upgraded Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Ventas from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Wedbush raised their price target on shares of Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Robert W. Baird raised Ventas from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $66.00 to $65.00 in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Mizuho decreased 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ventas presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $71.14.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ventas news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at $716,373. This represents a 25.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 41,294 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.08, for a total value of $2,852,589.52. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,138,143 shares in the company, valued at $78,622,918.44. This trade represents a 3.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 260,227 shares of company stock worth $17,769,097. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

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.

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