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

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) had its price objective lifted by Mizuho from $68.00 to $75.00 in a research note published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. Mizuho currently has an outperform rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

VTR has been the topic of a number of other reports. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Ventas from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Ventas from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Argus set a $75.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Ventas from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised shares of Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $72.90.

Ventas Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VTR opened at $67.67 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company has a market capitalization of $29.58 billion, a PE ratio of 356.15, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.37. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $63.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $63.07. Ventas has a 1-year low of $41.45 and a 1-year high of $71.04.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Ventas will post 3.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The company 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 a boost from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 1,010.53%.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Trading of Ventas

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VTR. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position 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 last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Ventas by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,070 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $325,000 after acquiring an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its stake in Ventas by 10.0% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 59,761 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,832,000 after acquiring an additional 5,421 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ventas by 11.9% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ventas by 19.5% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 134,803 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $8,645,000 after purchasing an additional 21,950 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

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.