Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Stock Gets Price Target Reduction from Cantor Fitzgerald

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) had its target price trimmed by Cantor Fitzgerald from $102.00 to $95.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on VTR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Ventas from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Ventas from $104.00 to $96.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 19th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Ventas from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Argus raised their price target on shares of Ventas from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Ventas from $102.00 to $95.00 in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $98.59.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of VTR opened at $84.69 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $87.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $86.43. Ventas has a one year low of $72.66 and a one year high of $101.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.43. The stock has a market cap of $44.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 159.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.72.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.98 by ($0.85). The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.77 billion. Ventas had a net margin of 3.86% and a return on equity of 1.86%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.88 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Ventas will post 3.89 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 392.45%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Ventas during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,953,439,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 3.6% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,190,594 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $588,045,000 after acquiring an additional 253,019 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in shares of Ventas in the second quarter valued at approximately $501,850,000. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in shares of Ventas in the second quarter valued at approximately $451,822,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ventas by 5.5% in the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,981,404 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $442,349,000 after acquiring an additional 258,859 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Company Profile

Ventas, Inc (NYSE: VTR) is a real estate investment trust focused on healthcare and senior housing properties. The company owns, manages and develops a diversified portfolio of healthcare-related real estate, including senior living communities, medical office buildings, life science and innovation centers, and other properties serving healthcare providers and institutions.

Ventas generally leases its properties to healthcare operators, physicians, health systems, universities and research organizations.