Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) have earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the nine brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $70.71.

VTR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Robert W. Baird raised Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Baird R W raised Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Wedbush lifted their target price on Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Ventas from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th.

Ventas Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:VTR opened at $68.18 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $60.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $62.08. The company has a market cap of $29.80 billion, a PE ratio of 358.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.37. Ventas has a fifty-two week low of $41.45 and a fifty-two week high of $68.52.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a return on equity of 0.82% and a net margin of 1.65%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Ventas will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.82%. This is an increase from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 1,010.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ventas

In other news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total value of $243,558.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $716,373. The trade was a 25.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventas

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in Ventas by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 8,120 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $521,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the period. DoubleLine ETF Adviser LP increased its stake in Ventas by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. DoubleLine ETF Adviser LP now owns 29,695 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,749,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its holdings in shares of Ventas by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 34,973 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,060,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of Ventas by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 5,186 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $305,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Ventas by 17.0% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,221 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ventas Company Profile

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.