Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Reaches New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $66.25 and last traded at $66.21, with a volume of 1361821 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $64.74.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VTR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Wedbush upped their price objective on Ventas from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Wolfe Research upgraded Ventas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded 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. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price target on Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $63.63.

Ventas Trading Up 2.0 %

The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $63.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $54.85. The firm has a market cap of $27.28 billion, a P/E ratio of -161.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.58.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last released its quarterly 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.75 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.73%. Ventas’s payout ratio is -449.99%.

Insider Activity

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of 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 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 40,079 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.29, for a total transaction of $2,296,125.91. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at $56,529,016.93. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,231,860.87. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 83,069 shares of company stock valued at $4,923,389. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ventas

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. First Community Trust NA purchased a new position in Ventas in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in Ventas in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 3rd quarter valued at about $48,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Ventas in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 2nd quarter valued at $51,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ventas Company Profile

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.