Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Receives $72.90 Average PT from Analysts

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twelve analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have given a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $72.90.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Argus set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a report on Friday, March 7th. Baird R W raised shares of Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Robert W. Baird raised Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $66.00 to $65.00 in a report on Friday, January 17th. Wedbush boosted their price target on Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price target on Ventas from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of VTR stock opened at $67.46 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $29.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 355.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. Ventas has a one year low of $41.45 and a one year high of $71.36. The company’s 50-day moving average is $66.60 and its 200 day moving average is $63.47.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a net margin of 1.65% and a return on equity of 0.82%. Sell-side analysts expect that Ventas will post 3.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This is a positive change from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.85%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 1,010.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total value of $243,558.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $716,373. This trade represents a 25.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 44,551 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.06, for a total value of $3,165,794.06. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,145,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,413,086.70. This trade represents a 3.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 304,778 shares of company stock worth $20,934,891. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. purchased a new position in Ventas during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Franchise Capital Ltd bought a new position in Ventas during the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in Ventas by 66.2% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 527 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Promus Capital LLC bought a new stake in Ventas in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 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.