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

Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 1,144 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $67,000.

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

Ventas Trading Up 2.2 %

VTR opened at $60.75 on Friday. Ventas, Inc. has a twelve month low of $41.45 and a twelve month high of $67.61. The company has a fifty day moving average of $60.29 and a 200-day moving average of $60.68. The stock has a market cap of $25.49 billion, a PE ratio of -357.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,291,063.89. This trade represents a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VTR has been the topic of several recent research reports. Mizuho cut their price objective on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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 research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Baird R W raised Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.13.

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.