Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Upgraded at Baird R W

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

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Scotiabank raised 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Robert W. Baird upgraded Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $67.13.

Ventas Price Performance

Ventas stock opened at $58.85 on Friday. Ventas has a 12-month low of $41.45 and a 12-month high of $67.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $60.88 and a 200-day moving average price of $60.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.69 billion, a PE ratio of -346.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.37.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.11, for a total value of $396,924.44. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,231,860.87. This trade represents a 0.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventas

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Ventas by 66.2% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 527 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Ventas in the third quarter valued at about $48,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in Ventas in the third quarter worth about $64,000. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas during the third quarter worth about $74,000. 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.