Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Receives Average Recommendation of “Buy” from Analysts

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) has received a consensus rating of “Buy” from the nine analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $65.63.

VTR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th.

Ventas Trading Down 1.1 %

NYSE VTR opened at $60.04 on Friday. 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 has a market capitalization of $25.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -357.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.36. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $63.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $58.82. Ventas has a one year low of $41.45 and a one year high of $67.61.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -1,058.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total value of $8,022,980.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,291,063.89. The trade was a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventas

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

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.