Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Sets New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $65.64 and last traded at $65.64, with a volume of 164 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $65.55.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VTR has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Wedbush upped their target price on shares of Ventas from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Wolfe Research raised Ventas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Evercore ISI boosted 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. Finally, StockNews.com cut Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ventas presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $63.63.

Ventas Trading Up 0.3 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $62.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $54.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.80 billion, a PE ratio of -162.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.36.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by ($0.74). Ventas had a negative return on equity of 1.63% and a negative net margin of 3.33%. The business had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.75 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is currently -449.99%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 3,784 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.24, for a total transaction of $209,028.16. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 104,295 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,761,255.80. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 40,079 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.29, for a total transaction of $2,296,125.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,529,016.93. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 3,784 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.24, for a total transaction of $209,028.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 104,295 shares in the company, valued at $5,761,255.80. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 77,065 shares of company stock worth $4,526,464. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Ventas by 405.5% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 171,194 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $8,532,000 after buying an additional 137,327 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new position in Ventas in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,005,000. Centersquare Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Ventas by 11.5% in the 1st quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 7,806,396 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $345,667,000 after purchasing an additional 802,546 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Ventas in the 1st quarter valued at about $819,000. Finally, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 1st quarter worth about $11,749,000. 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.