Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Stock Holdings Lifted by Pictet Asset Management Holding SA

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 7.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 892,700 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 64,821 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned about 0.21% of Ventas worth $52,571,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. purchased a new position in Ventas during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position 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 worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Promus Capital LLC acquired a new position in Ventas in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ventas in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings 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 valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ventas Trading Up 2.4 %

NYSE VTR traded up $1.69 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $71.08. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,132,026 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,035,340. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $65.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $63.35. Ventas, Inc. has a 52-week low of $41.45 and a 52-week high of $71.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 374.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.37.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 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%. Research analysts expect that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.48 dividend. This is a boost from Ventas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.70%. Ventas's payout ratio is 1,010.53%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective 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 objective on Ventas in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Mizuho increased their target price on Ventas from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Ventas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ventas currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $72.90.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ventas

In related news, 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 value of $27,548.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,128,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,098,153. This trade represents a 0.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $716,373. The trade was a 25.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 260,227 shares of company stock valued at $17,769,097 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

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.