Robert W. Baird Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Stock

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) had its price target boosted by Robert W. Baird from $65.00 to $66.00 in a research note released on Friday,Benzinga reports. Robert W. Baird currently has a neutral rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a research report on Thursday. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Mizuho cut their target price on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $65.67.

Ventas Price Performance

NYSE:VTR opened at $58.76 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.65 billion, a PE ratio of -345.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.36. Ventas has a 52 week low of $41.45 and a 52 week high of $67.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $63.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $59.27.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.06%. Ventas’s payout ratio is -1,058.82%.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.11, for a total transaction of $396,924.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at $65,231,860.87. This represents a 0.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VTR. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Ventas by 2.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,671,227 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,710,426,000 after buying an additional 581,870 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Ventas by 4.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,364,810 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,498,385,000 after buying an additional 982,795 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Ventas by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,411,293 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $665,559,000 after buying an additional 245,922 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,931,538 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $304,047,000 after buying an additional 96,482 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Ventas by 105.2% in 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 last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

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.