Mizuho Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Stock Price

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) had its price objective reduced by Mizuho from $71.00 to $68.00 in a report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also commented on VTR. Wolfe Research raised shares of Ventas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a research note on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ventas currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $65.63.

Ventas Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VTR opened at $62.15 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $64.02 and a 200-day moving average of $58.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.07 billion, a PE ratio of -365.57, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. Ventas has a 12 month low of $41.45 and a 12 month high of $67.61.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st were given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.90%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is presently -1,058.76%.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In other news, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total transaction of $389,940.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 90,795 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,900,767.05. This trade represents a 6.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total value of $8,022,980.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at $65,291,063.89. This trade represents a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 133,252 shares of company stock worth $8,809,845. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VTR. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Ventas by 862.7% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,932,017 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $252,160,000 after purchasing an additional 3,523,594 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Ventas by 105.2% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,420,322 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $347,605,000 after purchasing an additional 2,778,408 shares during the last quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd purchased a new position in Ventas in the second quarter valued at about $73,517,000. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Ventas by 4.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,364,810 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,498,385,000 after acquiring an additional 982,795 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI grew its stake in shares of Ventas by 217.4% during the second quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 856,525 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $43,905,000 after acquiring an additional 586,676 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

About Ventas

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.