Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Receives $58.67 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $58.67.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on VTR shares. Wolfe Research upgraded Ventas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Ventas from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. StockNews.com raised shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In other Ventas news, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 20,000 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.87, for a total value of $1,177,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 156,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,207,444.61. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.87, for a total transaction of $1,177,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 156,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,207,444.61. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 40,079 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.29, for a total value of $2,296,125.91. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,529,016.93. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 77,065 shares of company stock valued at $4,526,464. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. First Community Trust NA bought a new stake in Ventas in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ventas during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. First Financial Corp IN bought a new position in Ventas in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in Ventas during the 2nd quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in Ventas during the 2nd quarter valued at $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of VTR stock opened at $63.82 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. Ventas has a fifty-two week low of $39.33 and a fifty-two week high of $65.64. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $59.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $51.44.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.79 by ($0.74). Ventas had a negative net margin of 3.33% and a negative return on equity of 1.63%. The business had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.75 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Ventas will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.82%. Ventas’s payout ratio is -947.32%.

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.