Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Raises Holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,481,514 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 96,716 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 1.11% of Ventas worth $223,359,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Ventas by 19.5% in the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 9,739 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $485,000 after buying an additional 1,586 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Ventas by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 43,030 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,145,000 after acquiring an additional 1,805 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter valued at about $205,000. Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter worth about $213,000. Finally, First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. grew its stake in shares of Ventas by 55.2% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 8,410 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $419,000 after purchasing an additional 2,992 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Stock Up 0.7 %

VTR opened at $47.44 on Thursday. Ventas, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $39.33 and a fifty-two week high of $50.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.63. The stock has a market cap of $19.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -249.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.25. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $43.53 and its 200 day moving average is $45.25.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 1st were paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.79%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 28th. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -947.37%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on VTR shares. StockNews.com cut Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Ventas from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Ventas in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $60.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America raised shares of Ventas from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $48.00 to $53.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $46.00 price target (down from $52.00) on shares of Ventas in a research note on Monday, February 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ventas presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $51.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 18,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 176,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,310,345.33. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.