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 released on Saturday morning.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Mizuho reduced their target price on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $65.67.

Ventas Price Performance

VTR opened at $58.93 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.72 billion, a P/E ratio of -346.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 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. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $63.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $59.40. Ventas has a 52-week low of $41.45 and a 52-week high of $67.61.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.05%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. Ventas’s payout ratio is presently -1,058.82%.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total value of $8,022,980.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,291,063.89. This represents a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventas

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in Ventas by 862.7% in the 3rd 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 valued at $252,160,000 after purchasing an additional 3,523,594 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Ventas by 105.2% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,420,322 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $347,605,000 after acquiring an additional 2,778,408 shares during the last quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Ventas during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $73,517,000. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ventas by 4.4% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,364,810 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,498,385,000 after acquiring an additional 982,795 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI lifted its stake in shares of Ventas by 217.4% during the 2nd quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 856,525 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $43,905,000 after purchasing an additional 586,676 shares during the period. 94.18% of the stock is 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.