Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $67.67 and last traded at $67.22, with a volume of 236549 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $66.08.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Robert W. Baird raised Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Ventas from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Baird R W raised Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Wedbush increased their price objective on Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ventas currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.71.

Ventas Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $29.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 358.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $60.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $62.08.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 research analysts anticipate that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.82%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is 1,010.53%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ventas news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at $716,373. This represents a 25.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventas

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Integrated Advisors Network LLC lifted its holdings in Ventas by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 5,536 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 426 shares during the last quarter. Ascent Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ventas in the 4th quarter worth approximately $367,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its position in Ventas by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 501,361 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $29,525,000 after acquiring an additional 25,366 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank increased its holdings in Ventas by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 223,711 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $13,174,000 after purchasing an additional 20,746 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new stake in Ventas during the 4th quarter valued at $444,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.