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 report issued on Saturday.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 target price on shares of Ventas in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Ventas from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with 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, Ventas currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $65.67.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of Ventas stock opened at $58.93 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. Ventas has a 12 month low of $41.45 and a 12 month high of $67.61. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $63.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $59.40. The stock has a market cap of $24.72 billion, a PE ratio of -346.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.36.

Ventas Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at $65,291,063.89. The trade was a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventas

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