Avanza Fonder AB Buys Shares of 42,430 Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new position in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 42,430 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $2,499,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in Ventas during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ventas by 66.2% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 527 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 3rd quarter worth about $48,000. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas during the third quarter worth about $64,000. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ventas in the third quarter valued at approximately $74,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on VTR. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com raised Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. 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 research note on Friday. Mizuho decreased their price target on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $67.13.

Ventas Trading Up 0.8 %

NYSE VTR opened at $58.85 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. Ventas, Inc. has a one year low of $41.45 and a one year high of $67.61. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $60.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $60.36.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.06%. Ventas’s payout ratio is -1,058.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total transaction of $8,022,980.16. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at $65,291,063.89. The trade was a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.