Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Sets New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VTR has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Ventas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Wedbush increased their price objective on shares of Ventas from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $63.63.

Ventas Price Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average of $62.40 and a 200 day moving average of $53.92. The firm has a market cap of $27.12 billion, a P/E ratio of -163.87, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last posted its earnings results 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 previous year, the firm posted $0.75 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. Ventas’s payout ratio is presently -449.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ventas news, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 3,784 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.24, for a total value of $209,028.16. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 104,295 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,761,255.80. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 40,079 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.29, for a total value of $2,296,125.91. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, 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 can be accessed 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 104,295 shares in the company, valued at $5,761,255.80. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 77,065 shares of company stock valued at $4,526,464. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ventas

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Centersquare Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ventas by 11.5% during the first quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 7,806,396 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $345,667,000 after purchasing an additional 802,546 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Ventas by 1.7% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,931,538 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $304,047,000 after buying an additional 96,482 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Ventas by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,489,159 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $239,000,000 after acquiring an additional 413,564 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new position in Ventas in the 2nd quarter valued at $135,425,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,756,752 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $90,051,000 after acquiring an additional 7,585 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.