Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Hold Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ventas (NYSE:VTR) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Friday morning.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on VTR. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Ventas from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 target price on shares of Ventas in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Two investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $67.13.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of Ventas stock opened at $58.85 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $24.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -346.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.37. Ventas has a twelve month low of $41.45 and a twelve month high of $67.61. The company’s fifty day moving average is $60.88 and its 200 day moving average is $60.36. 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 Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. Ventas’s payout ratio is -1,058.76%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at $65,291,063.89. This trade represents a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of Ventas by 862.7% during the third 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 purchasing an additional 3,523,594 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake 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 in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $1,498,385,000 after buying an additional 982,795 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Ventas by 2.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 27,557,480 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,767,261,000 after buying an additional 599,600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI grew its holdings in shares of Ventas by 217.4% during the second quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 856,525 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $43,905,000 after buying an additional 586,676 shares during the last quarter. 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.