KBC Group NV Decreases Stock Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

KBC Group NV cut its stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 72.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 159,359 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 410,753 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Ventas were worth $9,385,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VTR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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 purchasing an additional 599,600 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in Ventas by 2.2% during the 3rd 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 buying an additional 581,870 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Ventas by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,364,810 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,498,385,000 after acquiring an additional 982,795 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Ventas by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,411,293 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $665,559,000 after acquiring an additional 245,922 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Ventas by 105.2% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,420,322 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $347,605,000 after acquiring an additional 2,778,408 shares during the period. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ventas Stock Down 1.9 %

NYSE:VTR opened at $59.68 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $60.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $60.92. The company has a market capitalization of $25.03 billion, a PE ratio of -351.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.37. Ventas, Inc. has a 1-year low of $41.45 and a 1-year high of $67.61.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is -1,058.76%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on VTR. StockNews.com raised Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Mizuho cut their price objective on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Robert W. Baird upgraded Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $66.00 to $65.00 in a report on Friday, January 17th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Ventas from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Baird R W raised shares of Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ventas currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $67.63.

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.