Ventas (NYSE:VTR) and AMEN Properties (OTCMKTS:AMEN) Critical Contrast

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) and AMEN Properties (OTCMKTS:AMEN) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings and risk.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

94.2% of Ventas shares are held by institutional investors. 1.0% of Ventas shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 30.3% of AMEN Properties shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Dividends

Ventas pays an annual dividend of $1.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.5%. AMEN Properties pays an annual dividend of $40.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 8.5%. Ventas pays out -947.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Profitability

This table compares Ventas and AMEN Properties’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ventas	-1.58%	-0.75%	-0.29%
AMEN Properties	55.79%	40.62%	33.57%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Ventas and AMEN Properties’ revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ventas	$4.62 billion	4.54	-$40.97 million	($0.19)	-272.63
AMEN Properties	$3.68 million	6.41	$2.05 million	N/A	N/A

AMEN Properties has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Ventas.

Volatility & Risk

Ventas has a beta of 1.33, meaning that its stock price is 33% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, AMEN Properties has a beta of 0.76, meaning that its stock price is 24% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Ventas and AMEN Properties, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ventas	0	4	9	0	2.69
AMEN Properties	0	0	0	0	N/A

Ventas currently has a consensus price target of $51.46, suggesting a potential downside of 0.65%. Given Ventas’ higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe Ventas is more favorable than AMEN Properties.

Summary

AMEN Properties beats Ventas on 7 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

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. Ventas leverages its unmatched operational expertise, data-driven insights from its Ventas Operational InsightsTM platform, extensive relationships and strong financial position to achieve its goal of delivering outsized performance across approximately 1,400 properties. The Ventas portfolio is composed of senior housing communities, outpatient medical buildings, research centers and healthcare facilities in North America and the United Kingdom. The Company benefits from a seasoned team of talented professionals who share a commitment to excellence, integrity and a common purpose of helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives.

About AMEN Properties

AMEN Properties, Inc. owns oil and gas royalty and working interests in various oil and gas properties in the United States. It holds interests in oil gas and gas royalties through its ownership of SFF Royalty, LLC; and 100% interests in SFF Production, LLC. The company was formerly known as Crosswalk.com, Inc. and changed its name to AMEN Properties, Inc. in October 2002. AMEN Properties, Inc. was incorporated in 1993 and is based in Richardson, Texas.