Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Sees Strong Trading Volume on Analyst Upgrade

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) saw an uptick in trading volume on Friday after Robert W. Baird raised their price target on the stock from $65.00 to $66.00. Robert W. Baird currently has a neutral rating on the stock. 1,439,277 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 41% from the previous session’s volume of 2,421,865 shares.The stock last traded at $58.43 and had previously closed at $57.73.

VTR has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 target price on shares of Ventas in a research note on Thursday. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. StockNews.com cut shares of Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Scotiabank increased their price target on Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $65.67.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the company’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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,291,063.89. This represents a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventas

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of VTR. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Ventas during the third quarter valued at $48,000. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 3rd quarter valued at about $64,000. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ventas in the 3rd quarter valued at about $74,000. Tobam purchased a new position in Ventas in the third quarter worth about $79,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Ventas during the third quarter worth approximately $80,000. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $24.65 billion, a PE ratio of -345.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.36. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $63.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $59.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

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

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.