Avanza Fonder AB Takes Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new position in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 42,430 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $2,499,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Ventas by 2.2% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 27,557,480 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,767,261,000 after acquiring an additional 599,600 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Ventas by 2.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,671,227 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,710,426,000 after purchasing an additional 581,870 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its stake in Ventas by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,364,810 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,498,385,000 after purchasing an additional 982,795 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Ventas by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,411,293 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $665,559,000 after purchasing an additional 245,922 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Ventas by 105.2% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,420,322 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $347,605,000 after purchasing an additional 2,778,408 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Stock Performance

NYSE:VTR opened at $58.85 on Friday. Ventas, Inc. has a 12-month low of $41.45 and a 12-month high of $67.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $60.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $60.36.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.06%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is currently -1,058.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total transaction of $8,022,980.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,291,063.89. The trade was a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VTR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Scotiabank increased their target price on Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 target price on shares of Ventas in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their target price for the company from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $67.13.

Ventas 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.