Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ventas (NYSE:VTR) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Wednesday.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Baird R W upgraded shares of Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Ventas from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Argus set a $75.00 target price on shares of Ventas in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Ventas from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ventas has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $73.00.

Ventas Stock Up 1.5%

NYSE:VTR opened at $65.78 on Wednesday. Ventas has a twelve month low of $46.66 and a twelve month high of $71.36. The company has a market cap of $29.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 346.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.95. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $66.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $63.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.32 billion. Ventas had a return on equity of 0.82% and a net margin of 1.65%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.78 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Ventas will post 3.4 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.92%. Ventas’s payout ratio is currently 581.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 1,459 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.76, for a total transaction of $93,025.84. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 27,454 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,750,467.04. This trade represents a 5.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 388 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.00, for a total value of $27,548.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,128,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $80,098,153. This represents a 0.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 311,481 shares of company stock valued at $21,385,983. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VTR. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Ventas in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Ventas by 1,334.6% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 373 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings 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 valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Franchise Capital Ltd acquired a new position in Ventas in the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Rossby Financial LCC acquired a new position in Ventas in the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.