Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Holdings Decreased by Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc.

Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lessened its stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 12.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 6,236 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 853 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Ventas were worth $367,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 7.9% in the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 332,300 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $21,310,000 after acquiring an additional 24,300 shares in the last quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. boosted its stake in Ventas by 480.7% during the 3rd quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. now owns 26,214 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,681,000 after purchasing an additional 21,700 shares in the last quarter. Presima Securities ULC increased its position in shares of Ventas by 38.0% during the 4th quarter. Presima Securities ULC now owns 439,942 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $25,908,000 after purchasing an additional 121,193 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Ventas by 726.8% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,267 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $310,000 after buying an additional 4,630 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,028,015 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $296,100,000 after buying an additional 123,937 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of Ventas stock opened at $68.08 on Thursday. Ventas, Inc. has a 1 year low of $41.45 and a 1 year high of $71.04. The company has a market cap of $29.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 358.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $64.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $63.21.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a net margin of 1.65% and a return on equity of 0.82%. As a group, analysts expect that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is an increase from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.82%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is 1,010.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the firm’s 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 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 388 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.00, for a total transaction of $27,548.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,128,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $80,098,153. This represents a 0.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 260,227 shares of company stock worth $17,769,097. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VTR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Argus set a $75.00 target price on Ventas in a report on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Ventas from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Baird R W upgraded shares of Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Ventas from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.90.

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.