Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI Reduces Stock Holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI trimmed its holdings in Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 20.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 682,038 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 174,487 shares during the quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI’s holdings in Ventas were worth $43,739,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VTR. First Community Trust NA purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the second quarter worth about $25,000. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the second quarter worth about $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Ventas in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Ventas in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in Ventas in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $51,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ventas

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.11, for a total value of $396,924.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,231,860.87. This trade represents a 0.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total transaction of $389,940.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 90,795 shares in the company, valued at $5,900,767.05. This trade represents a 6.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 133,252 shares of company stock worth $8,809,845. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Price Performance

NYSE:VTR opened at $61.65 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $64.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $58.38. Ventas, Inc. has a 12 month low of $41.45 and a 12 month high of $67.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is currently -1,058.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VTR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Wolfe Research upgraded Ventas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com raised Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $65.63.

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.