KBC Group NV Lowers Stock Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

KBC Group NV lowered its position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 72.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 159,359 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 410,753 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV's holdings in Ventas were worth $9,385,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VTR. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in shares of Ventas by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 8,120 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $521,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank grew its stake in Ventas by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 3,308 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $195,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ventas by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 5,639 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $362,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Ventas by 66.2% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 527 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake in Ventas by 3.9% during the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 5,832 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $374,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.18% of the company's stock.

Ventas Stock Performance

Ventas stock traded up $0.51 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $60.11. 943,603 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,369,470. Ventas, Inc. has a 12 month low of $41.45 and a 12 month high of $67.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The business has a 50 day moving average of $60.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $60.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -354.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.37.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. Ventas's payout ratio is currently -1,058.76%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on VTR shares. Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Baird R W raised Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Ventas from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ventas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $67.63.

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.