Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI Invests $11.75 Million in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI acquired a new stake in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 269,849 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $11,749,000. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI owned 0.07% of Ventas at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of VTR. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Ventas by 77.9% in the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 514 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN bought a new position in Ventas in the first quarter worth $30,000. Gradient Investments LLC boosted its stake in Ventas by 82.7% during the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 718 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Ventas during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in Ventas in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on VTR shares. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Ventas from $53.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. StockNews.com raised Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Ventas from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on Ventas from $47.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $51.92.

Ventas Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE:VTR traded up $0.61 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $54.80. 800,377 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,246,138. The company’s 50 day moving average is $50.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.98. The company has a market capitalization of $22.18 billion, a P/E ratio of -285.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.33. Ventas, Inc. has a twelve month low of $39.33 and a twelve month high of $55.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 18th. Investors of record on Monday, July 1st were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.28%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 1st. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is -947.32%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 2,145 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.40, for a total value of $103,818.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 26,031 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,259,900.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 2,145 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.40, for a total value of $103,818.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 26,031 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,259,900.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 14,625 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.70, for a total value of $697,612.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 12,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $597,394.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 35,270 shares of company stock valued at $1,672,966. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.