Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt Increases Holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt grew its holdings in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 73.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,480 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 627 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt’s holdings in Ventas were worth $74,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the 1st quarter valued at about $41,000. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 21.1% in the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 13,542 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $837,000 after purchasing an additional 2,356 shares during the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 90.0% in the 1st quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 20,191 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,247,000 after purchasing an additional 9,563 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the 1st quarter valued at about $271,000. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 6.0% in the 1st quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 14,712 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $924,000 after purchasing an additional 835 shares during the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ventas Stock Performance

VTR opened at $43.13 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $17.43 billion, a P/E ratio of -392.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.51 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $43.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $44.96. Ventas, Inc. has a 1-year low of $39.33 and a 1-year high of $50.99.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Investors of record on Monday, April 1st were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.17%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 28th. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is currently -1,636.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on VTR. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Ventas in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $60.00 target price for the company. Bank of America upgraded Ventas from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $48.00 to $53.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Ventas from $53.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $46.00 price target (down previously from $52.00) on shares of Ventas in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded Ventas from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $51.54.

About Ventas

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.