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

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the ten ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $58.67.

A number of research firms have recently commented on VTR. StockNews.com raised shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Wedbush increased their target price on Ventas from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Ventas from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Ventas from $55.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In other Ventas news, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 3,784 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.24, for a total transaction of $209,028.16. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 104,295 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,761,255.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.87, for a total transaction of $1,177,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 156,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,207,444.61. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 3,784 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.24, for a total transaction of $209,028.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 104,295 shares in the company, valued at $5,761,255.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 77,065 shares of company stock valued at $4,526,464. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VTR. Profund Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 6,270 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $321,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ventas by 4.6% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 5,292 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $230,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ventas by 1.1% in the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 24,383 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,062,000 after buying an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Dakota Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Ventas by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 33,717 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,728,000 after buying an additional 322 shares during the period. Finally, Czech National Bank lifted its stake in Ventas by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 70,799 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,083,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of VTR stock opened at $64.21 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. Ventas has a 12-month low of $39.33 and a 12-month high of $65.64. The business’s 50 day moving average is $59.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $51.21. The company has a market capitalization of $25.99 billion, a P/E ratio of -337.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.36.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by ($0.74). The business had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.19 billion. Ventas had a negative net margin of 3.33% and a negative return on equity of 1.63%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.75 EPS. Analysts expect that Ventas will post 3.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.80%. Ventas’s payout ratio is -947.37%.

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.