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

Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $65.67.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Mizuho dropped their target price on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. StockNews.com upgraded Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 21st. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of VTR stock opened at $58.89 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $62.44 and its 200 day moving average is $59.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.71 billion, a P/E ratio of -346.39, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.36. Ventas has a 12 month low of $41.45 and a 12 month high of $67.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.06%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,058.82%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.11, for a total transaction of $396,924.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at $65,231,860.87. This trade represents a 0.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ventas

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Ventas by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 27,557,480 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,767,261,000 after buying an additional 599,600 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Ventas by 2.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,671,227 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,710,426,000 after acquiring an additional 581,870 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Ventas by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,364,810 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,498,385,000 after purchasing an additional 982,795 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Ventas by 2.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,411,293 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $665,559,000 after buying an additional 245,922 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Ventas by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,931,538 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $304,047,000 after purchasing an additional 96,482 shares during the period. 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.