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

Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $51.46.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on VTR shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Ventas from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Evercore ISI raised Ventas from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price objective on Ventas from $47.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 16th.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 18,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.11, for a total value of $871,535.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 176,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,310,345.33. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 18,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.11, for a total value of $871,535.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 176,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,310,345.33. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 14,625 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.70, for a total value of $697,612.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 12,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $597,394.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 35,270 shares of company stock valued at $1,672,966 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventas

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VTR. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ventas by 77.9% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 514 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 225 shares during the period. First Financial Corp IN purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in shares of Ventas by 151.1% in the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 796 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 479 shares during the period. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ventas by 82.7% in the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 718 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 325 shares during the period. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ventas Stock Performance

NYSE VTR opened at $50.42 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $47.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $46.38. Ventas has a twelve month low of $39.33 and a twelve month high of $50.99.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 1st will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 1st. Ventas’s payout ratio is -947.32%.

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.