Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $1.10 Billion Holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 18,641,375 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 233,630 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 4.44% of Ventas worth $1,097,801,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of VTR. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ventas in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position 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 worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the third quarter worth $48,000. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the third quarter worth $64,000. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ventas news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,371 shares of the company's stock, valued at $716,373. This represents a 25.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ventas Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of VTR traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $66.78. 1,417,795 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,517,186. The company has a market cap of $29.19 billion, a PE ratio of 351.54, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.37. The firm's 50 day moving average is $59.81 and its 200-day moving average is $61.75. Ventas, Inc. has a 52 week low of $41.45 and a 52 week high of $67.61. 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 (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This is a boost from Ventas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Ventas's payout ratio is currently 947.42%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VTR. StockNews.com raised Ventas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Wedbush boosted their target price on Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Baird R W raised Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Mizuho cut their target price on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price target on Ventas from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $69.14.

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.