Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Shares Bought by Czech National Bank

Czech National Bank increased its holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 10.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 100,411 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 9,448 shares during the period. Czech National Bank's holdings in Ventas were worth $6,904,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Ventas during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $340,282,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Ventas by 60.8% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,207,553 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $365,563,000 after purchasing an additional 2,347,705 shares in the last quarter. Rush Island Management LP increased its position in Ventas by 130.6% in the fourth quarter. Rush Island Management LP now owns 3,097,830 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $182,431,000 after purchasing an additional 1,754,494 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in Ventas by 1,489.5% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,456,112 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $85,750,000 after purchasing an additional 1,364,504 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zimmer Partners LP purchased a new stake in Ventas during the fourth quarter valued at $67,719,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ventas Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE VTR traded up $0.09 on Thursday, hitting $63.27. The stock had a trading volume of 3,442,986 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,763,193. The business's fifty day moving average price is $66.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $63.93. The stock has a market cap of $28.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 333.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Ventas, Inc. has a 52-week low of $49.06 and a 52-week high of $71.36.

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

Ventas Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.03%. Ventas's payout ratio is 581.82%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on VTR. Scotiabank raised their price objective on Ventas from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Argus set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a research note on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective 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. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Ventas from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $73.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Carey S. Roberts sold 23,500 shares of the company'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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 116,650 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,492,429.50. This represents a 16.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 1,459 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.76, for a total value of $93,025.84. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 27,454 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,750,467.04. This represents a 5.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 165,586 shares of company stock valued at $10,997,929. Insiders own 0.80% 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.