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

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday.

VTR has been the topic of several other reports. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Mizuho cut 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. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Ventas from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, 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 note on Friday, October 11th. One equities 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ventas presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $65.67.

Ventas Stock Performance

NYSE:VTR opened at $57.40 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $24.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -337.63, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.37. Ventas has a 1 year low of $41.45 and a 1 year high of $67.61. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $61.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $60.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,291,063.89. This trade represents a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventas

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Friedenthal Financial boosted its stake in Ventas by 1,183.7% in the 3rd quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 12,773 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $819,000 after buying an additional 11,778 shares during the last quarter. Tandem Capital Management Corp ADV increased its stake in shares of Ventas by 62.1% in the third quarter. Tandem Capital Management Corp ADV now owns 27,730 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,778,000 after buying an additional 10,620 shares during the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd bought a new position in Ventas during the 3rd quarter valued at $544,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its stake in Ventas by 7.9% in the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 332,300 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $21,310,000 after purchasing an additional 24,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, abrdn plc increased its holdings in Ventas by 28.7% in the third quarter. abrdn plc now owns 961,359 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $61,878,000 after buying an additional 214,384 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

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.