FIL Ltd Purchases 5,814 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

FIL Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 179,743 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 5,814 shares during the quarter. FIL Ltd's holdings in Ventas were worth $10,585,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VTR. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its position in Ventas by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 34,973 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,060,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the period. Personal CFO Solutions LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ventas by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 5,186 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $305,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ventas by 17.0% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,221 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 6,644 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 3,171 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $187,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ventas Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of Ventas stock traded up $0.55 on Thursday, hitting $68.18. The company had a trading volume of 755,169 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,658,131. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 358.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.02. 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 1 year low of $41.70 and a 1 year high of $71.36. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $66.89 and a 200-day moving average of $63.53.

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 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.82%. This is a positive change from Ventas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Ventas's dividend payout ratio is presently 1,010.53%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of Ventas 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 owns 11,371 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $716,373. This trade represents a 25.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 388 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.00, for a total transaction 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 $80,098,153. The trade was a 0.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 304,778 shares of company stock valued at $20,934,891. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VTR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Baird R W upgraded shares of Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Ventas from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Ventas from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Ventas from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Ventas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Four 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ventas has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.