Wedbush Reaffirms Outperform Rating for Ventas (NYSE:VTR)

Wedbush reissued their outperform rating on shares of Ventas (NYSE:VTR) in a report released on Thursday,RTT News reports. They currently have a $75.00 price target on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on VTR. StockNews.com downgraded Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price target on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ventas has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $65.63.

Ventas Stock Performance

NYSE VTR opened at $57.73 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The business’s 50 day moving average is $63.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -339.57, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.36. Ventas has a 12-month low of $41.45 and a 12-month high of $67.61.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -1,058.82%.

Insider Activity

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.11, for a total value of $396,924.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,231,860.87. This trade represents a 0.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ventas in the second quarter worth about $196,000. Bank of Stockton purchased a new position in Ventas during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $410,000. Spirit of America Management Corp NY grew its holdings in shares of Ventas by 6.6% during the second quarter. Spirit of America Management Corp NY now owns 8,050 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $413,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. acquired a new position in Ventas during the second quarter valued at $215,000. Finally, State of Michigan Retirement System boosted its position in Ventas by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 110,805 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $5,680,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the period. 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.