Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Acquires 79,429 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 24.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 399,516 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 79,429 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Ventas were worth $23,527,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VTR. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in Ventas during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Ventas by 66.2% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 527 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Promus Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Ventas by 1,039.4% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 809 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 388 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.00, for a total transaction of $27,548.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,128,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $80,098,153. This trade represents a 0.03 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total transaction of $243,558.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $716,373. This trade represents a 25.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 260,227 shares of company stock valued at $17,769,097 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Stock Down 1.4 %

Ventas stock opened at $66.60 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $62.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $62.78. 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 company has a market cap of $29.11 billion, a PE ratio of 350.53, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.37. Ventas, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $41.45 and a fifty-two week high of $71.04.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a return on equity of 0.82% and a net margin of 1.65%. Equities analysts anticipate that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.88%. This is a positive change from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 1,010.53%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com raised Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Ventas from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Wedbush upped their target price on Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ventas presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.20.

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.