Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $54.31.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wedbush upped their target price on shares of Ventas from $54.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Ventas from $53.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Ventas from $55.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 40,079 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.29, for a total value of $2,296,125.91. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $56,529,016.93. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 40,079 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.29, for a total transaction of $2,296,125.91. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,529,016.93. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.87, for a total value of $1,177,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 156,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,207,444.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 66,008 shares of company stock valued at $3,786,372 over the last quarter. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of VTR. Evoke Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the fourth quarter worth about $6,947,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Ventas by 405.5% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 171,194 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $8,532,000 after purchasing an additional 137,327 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ventas by 4,831.0% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 231,856 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $11,556,000 after buying an additional 227,154 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new position in Ventas during the 1st quarter worth about $1,005,000. Finally, Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter worth $3,560,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ventas Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE VTR opened at $59.37 on Monday. Ventas has a 12-month low of $39.33 and a 12-month high of $59.50. The stock has a market cap of $24.03 billion, a P/E ratio of -312.47, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $52.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $47.51.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by ($0.74). The business had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.19 billion. Ventas had a negative return on equity of 1.63% and a negative net margin of 3.33%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.75 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ventas will post 3.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 1st were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 1st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.03%. Ventas’s payout ratio is presently -947.37%.

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.