Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $987.46 Million Stock Holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 19,812,595 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 120,614 shares during the quarter. Ventas accounts for approximately 0.6% of Principal Financial Group Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 4.92% of Ventas worth $987,460,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Ventas in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 151.1% during the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 796 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 479 shares during the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 82.7% during the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 718 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in Ventas in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Ventas in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In other Ventas news, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 18,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 176,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,310,345.33. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 18,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.11, for a total value of $871,535.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 176,403 shares in the company, valued at $8,310,345.33. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 14,625 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.70, for a total value of $697,612.50. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 12,524 shares in the company, valued at $597,394.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Ventas Price Performance

VTR traded up $0.05 on Monday, reaching $47.61. The company had a trading volume of 1,150,176 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,360,190. The company has a market capitalization of $19.27 billion, a P/E ratio of -250.58, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. The company has a fifty day moving average of $43.81 and a 200-day moving average of $45.37. Ventas, Inc. has a one year low of $39.33 and a one year high of $50.99.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 1st were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 28th. Ventas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -947.37%.

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.