Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Acquires 96,716 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 4,481,514 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 96,716 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 1.11% of Ventas worth $223,359,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VTR. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 7.1% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 22,246,452 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $937,243,000 after buying an additional 1,483,908 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 1.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 19,691,981 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $829,619,000 after buying an additional 331,019 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 3.2% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,575,523 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $234,897,000 after buying an additional 173,415 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 1.7% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,321,475 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $224,194,000 after buying an additional 88,489 shares during the period. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 315.0% in the third quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 3,218,555 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $135,598,000 after buying an additional 2,443,076 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In other news, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 18,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.11, for a total transaction of $871,535.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 176,403 shares in the company, valued at $8,310,345.33. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VTR traded up $0.11 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $47.55. 1,930,781 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,386,621. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.25 billion, a P/E ratio of -249.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $43.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $45.25. Ventas, Inc. has a twelve month low of $39.33 and a twelve month high of $50.99.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.79%. Ventas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -947.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Ventas from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $50.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 18th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $46.00 price objective (down previously from $52.00) on shares of Ventas in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Bank of America raised shares of Ventas from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $48.00 to $53.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Ventas in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $60.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ventas currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $51.25.

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.