Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. Takes Position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 1,144 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $67,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in VTR. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position 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 valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Ventas during the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in Ventas during the third quarter worth $64,000. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. acquired a new position in Ventas during the third quarter worth $74,000. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total value of $8,022,980.16. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,291,063.89. The trade was a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on VTR. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Robert W. Baird upgraded Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $66.00 to $65.00 in a report on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com upgraded Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $67.13.

Ventas Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of Ventas stock opened at $60.75 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $25.49 billion, a PE ratio of -357.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.37. Ventas, Inc. has a 1 year low of $41.45 and a 1 year high of $67.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $60.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $60.68.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.96%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,058.76%.

About Ventas

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.