Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Raised to Strong-Buy at Baird R W

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Baird R W from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Zacks.com reports.

VTR has been the subject of a number of other reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. 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 report on Friday, October 11th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $67.13.

Ventas Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:VTR opened at $58.85 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $60.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $60.41. 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 has a one year low of $41.45 and a one year high of $67.61. The company has a market cap of $24.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -346.15, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.37.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total value of $8,022,980.16. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,291,063.89. The trade was 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. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Inspire Investing LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $2,425,000 after purchasing an additional 576 shares during the period. Roberts Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $4,207,000 after purchasing an additional 652 shares during the period. Atomi Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings 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 worth $276,000 after purchasing an additional 499 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd grew its holdings in Ventas by 76.8% in the fourth quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 15,010 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $884,000 after purchasing an additional 6,520 shares during the period. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC grew its holdings in Ventas by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 9,856 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $580,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the period. 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.