5,778,273 Shares in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Bought by Norges Bank

Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 5,778,273 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $340,282,000. Norges Bank owned about 1.38% of Ventas as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ventas in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in 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. Promus Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Ventas in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Ventas in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Ventas by 1,039.4% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 809 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 738 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ventas Stock Up 2.1 %

Ventas stock traded up $1.47 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $70.86. The stock had a trading volume of 1,543,728 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,598,323. The company has a market cap of $30.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 372.97, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.37. The business's 50 day moving average price is $65.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $63.35. Ventas, Inc. has a 52 week low of $41.45 and a 52 week high of $71.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

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Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a net margin of 1.65% and a return on equity of 0.82%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.71%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Ventas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Ventas's dividend payout ratio is currently 1,010.53%.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In other news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total transaction of $243,558.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at $716,373. This represents a 25.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 214,679 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.22, for a total transaction of $14,645,401.38. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,138,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at $77,644,115.46. This trade represents a 15.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 260,227 shares of company stock valued at $17,769,097 in the last quarter. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on VTR. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Ventas from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Argus set a $75.00 price target on Ventas in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Baird R W upgraded Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Four 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.