Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Friday.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on VTR. Wolfe Research raised Ventas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Scotiabank upped their price target on Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Wedbush lifted their price target on shares of Ventas from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Two 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Ventas currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $63.63.

Ventas Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of VTR opened at $64.19 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $26.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -377.57, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.36. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $63.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $55.42. Ventas has a fifty-two week low of $41.45 and a fifty-two week high of $67.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 1.04.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.79 by ($0.74). Ventas had a negative net margin of 1.38% and a negative return on equity of 0.69%. The firm had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.19 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.75 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Ventas will post 3.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total transaction of $8,022,980.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at $65,291,063.89. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 40,079 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.29, for a total transaction of $2,296,125.91. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,529,016.93. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,291,063.89. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 200,533 shares of company stock valued at $12,737,341. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ventas

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in Ventas during the 1st quarter worth $1,005,000. Centersquare Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ventas by 11.5% during the first quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 7,806,396 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $345,667,000 after purchasing an additional 802,546 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ventas in the 1st quarter valued at about $819,000. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI acquired a new position in Ventas in the first quarter valued at approximately $11,749,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ventas by 386.9% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 231,643 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $10,086,000 after purchasing an additional 184,065 shares during the period. 94.18% of the stock is currently 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.