Handelsbanken Fonder AB Sells 50,706 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB reduced its position in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 19.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 212,251 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 50,706 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Ventas were worth $10,579,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC raised its position in Ventas by 7.1% during 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 purchasing an additional 1,483,908 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Ventas by 1.7% during 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 purchasing an additional 331,019 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in Ventas by 3.2% during 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 purchasing an additional 173,415 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Ventas by 1.7% during 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 purchasing an additional 88,489 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Ventas by 2.5% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,384,798 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $184,732,000 after purchasing an additional 105,583 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ventas Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of VTR opened at $43.61 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $43.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $45.06. Ventas, Inc. has a 12 month low of $39.33 and a 12 month high of $50.99.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.13%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -1,636.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $46.00 price target (down from $52.00) on shares of Ventas in a report on Monday, February 26th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Ventas from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $48.00 to $53.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Ventas in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $60.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded Ventas from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, March 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $51.54.

Ventas Company 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.