Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.83 EPS

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The real estate investment trust reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.83, Zacks reports. Ventas had a return on equity of 2.09% and a net margin of 4.25%.

Ventas Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:VTR traded down $0.49 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $97.65. 4,300,077 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,668,854. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $88.61 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $85.24. Ventas has a fifty-two week low of $65.82 and a fifty-two week high of $101.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.25 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The stock has a market cap of $47.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 177.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.70.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 378.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wiser Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ventas in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new position in Ventas in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT lifted its stake in Ventas by 250.3% in the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 508 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 363 shares during the last quarter. DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in Ventas during the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Rossby Financial LCC increased its position in shares of Ventas by 45.8% in the 4th quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 729 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on VTR. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Ventas from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Mizuho upped their target price on Ventas from $98.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Ventas in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $94.00 price objective on the stock. Scotiabank reduced their price target on shares of Ventas from $95.00 to $88.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Ventas from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ventas has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.50.

Ventas Company 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.