Czech National Bank Purchases 6,800 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Czech National Bank lifted its position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 8.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 90,963 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,800 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Ventas were worth $5,357,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Ventas by 66.2% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 527 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ventas in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in shares of Ventas by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 29,933 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,756,000 after acquiring an additional 1,369 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ventas by 12.9% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,299 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $489,000 after acquiring an additional 950 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Ventas by 2.2% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 27,557,480 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,767,261,000 after purchasing an additional 599,600 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ventas Stock Performance

Ventas stock opened at $58.02 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $61.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $60.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The company has a market cap of $24.34 billion, a PE ratio of -341.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.37. Ventas, Inc. has a twelve month low of $41.45 and a twelve month high of $67.61.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.10%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,058.82%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VTR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Ventas from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $65.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ventas

In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,004 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.11, for a total transaction of $396,924.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,231,860.87. The trade was a 0.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.00% 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.