Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Stock Position Lowered by APG Asset Management US Inc.

APG Asset Management US Inc. lessened its holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 9.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,636,519 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 1,218,226 shares during the quarter. Ventas accounts for 5.2% of APG Asset Management US Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. APG Asset Management US Inc. owned approximately 2.77% of Ventas worth $685,275,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. purchased a new position in Ventas in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Ventas by 66.2% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 527 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Promus Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ventas in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ventas during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 1,039.4% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 809 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 738 shares during the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of VTR stock traded up $1.01 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $67.12. 508,097 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,648,664. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.37 billion, a PE ratio of 353.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.02. Ventas, Inc. has a 12 month low of $41.45 and a 12 month high of $71.36. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $66.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $63.45.

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 for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, research analysts forecast that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 is a positive change from Ventas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.86%. Ventas's dividend payout ratio is currently 1,010.53%.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 44,551 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.06, for a total value of $3,165,794.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,145,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,413,086.70. This trade represents a 3.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the business'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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $716,373. This represents a 25.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 304,778 shares of company stock valued at $20,934,891. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on VTR. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Ventas from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Ventas from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Ventas from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Baird R W raised shares of Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Argus set a $75.00 target price on shares of Ventas in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Four 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ventas has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $72.90.

Ventas Company 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.