Robert W. Baird Raises Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Price Target to $66.00

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) had its price target lifted by Robert W. Baird from $65.00 to $66.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s price objective points to a potential upside of 12.32% from the stock’s current price.

VTR has been the subject of several other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com cut Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Mizuho cut their price target on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 target price on shares of Ventas in a research report on Thursday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $65.67.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of Ventas stock opened at $58.76 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. Ventas has a 52 week low of $41.45 and a 52 week high of $67.61. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $63.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.65 billion, a P/E ratio of -345.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.36.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.11, for a total transaction of $396,924.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,231,860.87. This represents a 0.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventas

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in Ventas by 862.7% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,932,017 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $252,160,000 after purchasing an additional 3,523,594 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Ventas by 105.2% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd purchased a new position in Ventas during the 2nd quarter valued at about $73,517,000. FMR LLC increased its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 982,795 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI raised its position in Ventas by 217.4% during the second quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 856,525 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $43,905,000 after acquiring an additional 586,676 shares during the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.