Czech National Bank Increases Stock Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 8.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 90,963 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 6,800 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Ventas were worth $5,357,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Ventas by 66.2% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 527 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in shares of Ventas by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 29,933 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,756,000 after purchasing an additional 1,369 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Ventas by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,299 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $489,000 after purchasing an additional 950 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Ventas by 2.2% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ventas Trading Down 0.1 %

Ventas stock opened at $58.02 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $61.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $60.39. Ventas, Inc. has a 52-week low of $41.45 and a 52-week high of $67.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The company has a market cap of $24.34 billion, a P/E ratio of -341.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.37.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.10%. Ventas’s payout ratio is presently -1,058.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Ventas from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $65.67.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.11, for a total value of $396,924.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,231,860.87. This trade represents a 0.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

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.