Vontobel Holding Ltd. Buys 13,318 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 378.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,839 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 13,318 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.'s holdings in Ventas were worth $992,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VTR. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Ventas during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the third quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the third quarter worth approximately $64,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company's stock.

Ventas Stock Performance

VTR traded down $0.77 during trading on Friday, hitting $66.08. 2,113,927 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,554,293. Ventas, Inc. has a one year low of $41.45 and a one year high of $67.61. The stock's fifty day moving average is $60.07 and its 200 day moving average is $61.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The firm has a market cap of $28.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 347.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.37.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a net margin of 1.65% and a return on equity of 0.82%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.48 dividend. This is an increase from Ventas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Ventas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 947.42%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total transaction of $243,558.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $716,373. This represents a 25.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company 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.