Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the ten research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $65.67.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on VTR shares. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Scotiabank increased their price target 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. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Ventas from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 21st. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 target price on shares of Ventas in a research report on Thursday, December 19th.

Ventas Price Performance

VTR opened at $58.23 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.43 billion, a P/E ratio of -342.51, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.37. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $61.64 and a 200-day moving average of $60.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current 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 Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. Ventas’s payout ratio is presently -1,058.82%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total transaction of $8,022,980.16. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ventas

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of VTR. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in Ventas by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 8,120 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $521,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Profund Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 6,270 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 5,639 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $362,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in Ventas by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 5,832 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $374,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the period. Finally, Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. grew its holdings in Ventas by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. now owns 5,434 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $349,000 after buying an additional 232 shares during the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ventas Company Profile

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.