StockNews.com Begins Coverage on Ventas (NYSE:VTR)

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Ventas (NYSE:VTR – Get Rating) in a research note released on Thursday. The firm issued a sell rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on VTR. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Ventas from $60.00 to $56.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 23rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Ventas from $44.50 to $45.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Wednesday, November 23rd. Raymond James lifted their target price on Ventas from $46.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Monday, January 9th. KeyCorp decreased their target price on Ventas from $56.00 to $55.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 1st. Finally, Mizuho decreased their target price on Ventas from $61.00 to $60.00 in a report on Friday, December 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $56.27.

Ventas Stock Down 3.9 %

Shares of VTR stock opened at $44.24 on Thursday. Ventas has a 1 year low of $35.33 and a 1 year high of $64.02. The stock has a market cap of $17.70 billion, a PE ratio of -368.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 1.19. The business’s fifty day moving average is $49.38 and its 200-day moving average is $45.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.62.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 9th. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.11) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.72 by ($0.83). Ventas had a negative net margin of 1.15% and a negative return on equity of 0.45%. The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.73 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Ventas will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 3rd will be given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 31st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.07%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,500.00%.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 32,932 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.74, for a total transaction of $1,736,833.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 863,555 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,543,890.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ventas

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. MV Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Ventas by 923.2% during the fourth quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 573 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 517 shares during the last quarter. Capital Analysts LLC acquired a new stake in Ventas during the second quarter valued at $30,000. Private Trust Co. NA bought a new position in Ventas during the second quarter valued at about $31,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new position in Ventas during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Belpointe Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Ventas during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.28% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Ventas, Inc engages in the acquisition and ownership of seniors housing and healthcare properties. It operates through the following segments: Triple-Net Leased Properties, Senior Housing Operating Portfolio (SHOP), and Office Operations. The Triple-Net Leased Properties segment invests in and owns senior housing and healthcare properties.