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

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twelve ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have issued a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $72.90.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on VTR shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Baird R W raised Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Ventas from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Wedbush lifted their price objective on Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Ventas from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th.

Ventas Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of VTR stock opened at $66.91 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 352.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $64.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $63.10. Ventas has a fifty-two week low of $41.45 and a fifty-two week high of $71.04.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a net margin of 1.65% and a return on equity of 0.82%. Equities research analysts predict that Ventas will post 3.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This is an increase from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Ventas’s payout ratio is currently 1,010.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ventas

In other Ventas news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total value of $243,558.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $716,373. The trade was a 25.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 388 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.00, for a total transaction of $27,548.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,128,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $80,098,153. This represents a 0.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 260,227 shares of company stock worth $17,769,097. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ventas

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VTR. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Ventas by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 127,422 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $8,172,000 after buying an additional 3,468 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in shares of Ventas by 38.6% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,563 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $100,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 6.2% during the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,070 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $325,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its stake in Ventas by 10.0% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 59,761 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,832,000 after purchasing an additional 5,421 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Ventas by 11.9% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,040 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $448,000 after purchasing an additional 748 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.