Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $1.21 Billion Holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 2.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,875,005 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 396,934 shares during the period. Ventas makes up 0.7% of Principal Financial Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Ventas were worth $1,210,448,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in Ventas during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,005,000. Centersquare Investment Management LLC increased its position in Ventas by 11.5% during the first quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 7,806,396 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $345,667,000 after acquiring an additional 802,546 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Ventas during the 1st quarter valued at $819,000. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI bought a new stake in Ventas in the 1st quarter valued at $11,749,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in Ventas by 386.9% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 231,643 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $10,086,000 after purchasing an additional 184,065 shares during the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ventas Price Performance

Ventas stock opened at $63.22 on Thursday. Ventas, Inc. has a 52 week low of $41.45 and a 52 week high of $67.61. The firm has a market cap of $26.51 billion, a P/E ratio of -371.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.36. 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’s fifty day moving average is $63.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.86.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.85%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -1,058.76%.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total transaction of $8,022,980.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,291,063.89. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,827 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.20, for a total transaction of $431,466.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at $62,360,514.40. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 140,454 shares of company stock worth $9,263,815 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VTR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com raised Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Ventas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Two research 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $63.63.

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.