Ventas’ (VTR) Outperform Rating Reaffirmed at Wedbush

Ventas (NYSE:VTR)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reiterated by research analysts at Wedbush in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,RTT News reports. They currently have a $75.00 price objective on the real estate investment trust’s stock. Wedbush’s target price suggests a potential upside of 19.48% from the company’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Ventas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Scotiabank raised 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $64.13.

Ventas Stock Performance

VTR traded up $0.51 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $62.77. 2,154,700 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,413,068. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $64.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $58.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.33 billion, a P/E ratio of -369.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.36. Ventas has a 1 year low of $41.45 and a 1 year high of $67.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ventas

In other Ventas news, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total transaction of $389,940.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 90,795 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,900,767.05. This represents a 6.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,827 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.20, for a total value of $431,466.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,360,514.40. This trade represents a 0.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 140,079 shares of company stock worth $9,241,311 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventas

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. First Community Trust NA bought a new stake in Ventas during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ventas during the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Ventas in the third quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in shares of Ventas during the 2nd quarter valued at about $51,000. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.