Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Upgraded at Robert W. Baird

Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Ventas (NYSE:VTR) from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a research note released on Friday morning, MarketBeat reports. They currently have $65.00 target price on the real estate investment trust’s stock, down from their previous target price of $66.00.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on VTR. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective 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. Finally, Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $67.13.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of VTR opened at $58.85 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. Ventas has a twelve month low of $41.45 and a twelve month high of $67.61. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $60.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $60.47. The firm has a market cap of $24.69 billion, a P/E ratio of -346.15, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.37.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. Ventas’s payout ratio is currently -1,058.82%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total value of $8,022,980.16. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,291,063.89. The trade was a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ventas

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VTR. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its position in Ventas by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 41,176 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,425,000 after purchasing an additional 576 shares during the last quarter. Roberts Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Ventas by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Roberts Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 72,465 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $4,207,000 after purchasing an additional 652 shares during the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Ventas by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,695 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 499 shares during the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd lifted its position in Ventas by 76.8% in the fourth quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 15,010 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $884,000 after purchasing an additional 6,520 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ventas by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 9,856 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $580,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.