Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $73.00.

Several research analysts have issued reports on VTR shares. Argus set a $75.00 price target on Ventas in a report on Friday, March 7th. Wedbush raised their target price on Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Mizuho raised their target price on Ventas from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Ventas from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Ventas from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 1,459 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.76, for a total transaction of $93,025.84. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 27,454 shares in the company, valued at $1,750,467.04. This trade represents a 5.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Carey S. Roberts sold 23,500 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.23, for a total transaction of $1,509,405.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 116,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,492,429.50. This represents a 16.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 165,586 shares of company stock worth $10,997,929 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ventas

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VTR. Nicola Wealth Management LTD. purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the first quarter valued at about $1,169,000. Militia Capital Partners LP purchased a new stake in Ventas during the first quarter worth approximately $440,000. Inspire Investing LLC grew its stake in Ventas by 6.7% during the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 43,936 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,021,000 after buying an additional 2,760 shares during the period. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Ventas in the first quarter valued at $41,664,000. Finally, Foresight Group Ltd Liability Partnership boosted its stake in shares of Ventas by 537.6% in the first quarter. Foresight Group Ltd Liability Partnership now owns 113,299 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $7,787,000 after purchasing an additional 95,530 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of Ventas stock opened at $63.65 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $28.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 335.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.89. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $65.84 and its 200-day moving average is $63.92. Ventas has a one year low of $49.26 and a one year high of $71.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.32 billion. Ventas had a return on equity of 0.82% and a net margin of 1.65%. The business’s revenue was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.78 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Ventas will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. Ventas’s payout ratio is currently 581.82%.

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.