KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Invests $9.59 Million in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 161,719 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $9,585,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lifted its position in Ventas by 7.9% during the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 332,300 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $21,310,000 after buying an additional 24,300 shares in the last quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Ventas by 480.7% during the third quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. now owns 26,214 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,681,000 after purchasing an additional 21,700 shares in the last quarter. Presima Securities ULC boosted its position in shares of Ventas by 38.0% in the fourth quarter. Presima Securities ULC now owns 439,942 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $25,908,000 after buying an additional 121,193 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Ventas by 726.8% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,267 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $310,000 after buying an additional 4,630 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Ventas by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,028,015 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $296,100,000 after acquiring an additional 123,937 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.18% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VTR has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Ventas from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Ventas from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Wedbush increased their price target on Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Baird R W raised Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $72.90.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VTR traded down $0.60 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $67.61. 3,428,710 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,414,687. Ventas, Inc. has a 52 week low of $41.45 and a 52 week high of $71.04. The company has a market cap of $29.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 355.86, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.37. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $64.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $63.15. 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 (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Ventas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.84%. Ventas's payout ratio is 1,010.53%.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 388 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.00, for a total transaction of $27,548.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,128,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,098,153. The trade was a 0.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,371 shares of the company's stock, valued at $716,373. The trade was a 25.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 260,227 shares of company stock worth $17,769,097 in the last quarter. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ventas 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.