Principal Financial Group Inc. Reduces Position in Ventas, Inc. $VTR

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 0.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,335,080 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 63,314 shares during the quarter. Ventas comprises 0.7% of Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Ventas were worth $1,254,108,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in VTR. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Ventas by 856.1% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 7,926 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $545,000 after acquiring an additional 7,097 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Ventas by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 8,373 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $576,000 after purchasing an additional 536 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its holdings in shares of Ventas by 46.8% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 36,826 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,532,000 after purchasing an additional 11,739 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth raised its stake in shares of Ventas by 130.4% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 21,613 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,486,000 after purchasing an additional 12,233 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the second quarter worth about $805,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Stock Performance

VTR opened at $92.07 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $86.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $83.78. Ventas, Inc. has a 1 year low of $64.71 and a 1 year high of $94.60. The stock has a market cap of $44.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 167.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.25 and a quick ratio of 0.25.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.11 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.12 by ($0.01). Ventas had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 2.09%. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.84 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 22.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Ventas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.820-3.890 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 378.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on VTR shares. Citigroup upped their target price on Ventas from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Ventas from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays began coverage on shares of Ventas in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $99.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Ventas from $91.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Ventas from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $96.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ventas news, Director Michael J. Embler acquired 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $78.81 per share, for a total transaction of $197,025.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 19,202 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,513,309.62. This represents a 14.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 1,152 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.20, for a total value of $103,910.40. Following the transaction, the director owned 28,349 shares in the company, valued at $2,557,079.80. This trade represents a 3.90% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ventas Profile

Ventas, Inc (NYSE: VTR) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that specializes in healthcare-related real estate. The company acquires, owns and manages a diversified portfolio of properties serving the healthcare continuum, including senior housing communities, skilled nursing facilities, medical office buildings, life science and research centers, and other properties leased to healthcare providers and operators. Ventas generates revenue through long-term leases, property management and selective development activities focused on meeting the real estate needs of the healthcare sector.

Ventas’ business model combines property ownership with active asset management and capital markets activity.