Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Upgraded by Baird R W to "Strong-Buy" Rating

Baird R W upgraded shares of Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Scotiabank boosted their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ventas from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ventas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $67.13.

Ventas Trading Up 0.8 %

Ventas stock traded up $0.49 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $58.85. The stock had a trading volume of 2,972,943 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,830,855. 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 firm has a market cap of $24.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -346.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.37. Ventas has a 52-week low of $41.45 and a 52-week high of $67.61. The company has a fifty day moving average of $60.75 and a 200 day moving average of $60.41.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. Ventas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -1,058.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ventas

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $65,291,063.89. The trade was a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ventas

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in Ventas during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ventas by 66.2% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 527 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the period. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas during the third quarter valued at $48,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Ventas in the 3rd quarter valued at $64,000. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. purchased a new position in Ventas in the 3rd quarter worth $74,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company's stock.

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.