Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Given Average Rating of “Buy” by Brokerages

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) has been given an average rating of “Buy” by the nine brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $63.63.

VTR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Scotiabank increased their target price 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. Wedbush boosted their price target on shares of Ventas from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. StockNews.com raised shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ventas news, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total value of $389,940.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 90,795 shares in the company, valued at $5,900,767.05. This represents a 6.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 140,454 shares of company stock worth $9,263,815. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VTR. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ventas by 8.1% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 15,361 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $669,000 after purchasing an additional 1,151 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in Ventas by 25.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,388 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $235,000 after buying an additional 1,082 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 1.1% in the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 24,383 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,062,000 after acquiring an additional 258 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE grew its position in shares of Ventas by 18.0% during the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 18,086 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $787,000 after acquiring an additional 2,760 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Ventas by 49.5% in the 1st quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 176,513 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $7,685,000 after acquiring an additional 58,413 shares during the period. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ventas Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE VTR opened at $64.25 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $26.95 billion, a P/E ratio of -377.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $64.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $57.21. Ventas has a 1 year low of $41.45 and a 1 year high of $67.61.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. Ventas’s payout ratio is presently -1,058.76%.

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.