Handelsbanken Fonder AB Sells 33,348 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB trimmed its stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 10.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 273,854 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 33,348 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned approximately 0.06% of Ventas worth $18,830,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Franchise Capital Ltd bought a new position in shares of Ventas during the first quarter worth about $32,000. Promus Capital LLC bought a new stake in Ventas in the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Ventas by 1,039.4% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 809 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Ventas by 53.9% in the first quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 811 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in Ventas in the fourth quarter worth approximately $48,000. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ventas Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:VTR traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $63.75. 2,578,605 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,797,039. The stock has a market cap of $28.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 335.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. Ventas, Inc. has a 12-month low of $49.34 and a 12-month high of $71.36. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $65.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $63.90.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.32 billion. Ventas had a return on equity of 0.82% and a net margin of 1.65%. Ventas's quarterly revenue was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.78 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.01%. Ventas's payout ratio is 581.82%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 9,110 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.04, for a total value of $601,624.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,145,695 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $75,661,697.80. The trade was a 0.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Carey S. Roberts sold 23,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.23, for a total value of $1,509,405.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 116,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,492,429.50. This represents a 16.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 165,586 shares of company stock valued at $10,997,929. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Mizuho lifted their target price on Ventas from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Ventas from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Ventas from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Argus set a $75.00 target price on Ventas in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Ventas from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ventas has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $73.00.

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.