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

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) has earned an average rating of “Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $65.63.

VTR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of 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. Mizuho decreased their target price on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com raised Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,004 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.11, for a total value of $396,924.44. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,231,860.87. This trade represents a 0.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total value of $389,940.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 90,795 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,900,767.05. The trade was a 6.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 133,252 shares of company stock worth $8,809,845. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp lifted its position in Ventas by 2.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,671,227 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,710,426,000 after purchasing an additional 581,870 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Ventas by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,364,810 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,498,385,000 after buying an additional 982,795 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,411,293 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $665,559,000 after acquiring an additional 245,922 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Ventas by 1.7% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,931,538 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $304,047,000 after acquiring an additional 96,482 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in Ventas by 105.2% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,420,322 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $347,605,000 after acquiring an additional 2,778,408 shares during the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ventas Stock Performance

NYSE VTR opened at $61.65 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $25.86 billion, a PE ratio of -362.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. Ventas has a 52-week low of $41.45 and a 52-week high of $67.61. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $63.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.54.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is presently -1,058.76%.

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.