Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Sets New 12-Month High - Here's What Happened

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $65.64 and last traded at $65.64, with a volume of 164 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $65.55.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Ventas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Wedbush lifted their price target on shares of Ventas from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ventas from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $63.63.

Ventas Stock Down 1.3 %

The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $62.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $54.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The company has a market capitalization of $26.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -161.67, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.36.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.79 by ($0.74). Ventas had a negative return on equity of 1.63% and a negative net margin of 3.33%. The business had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.75 EPS. Ventas's revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.78%. Ventas's payout ratio is currently -449.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ventas

In other news, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total transaction of $389,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 90,795 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,900,767.05. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,827 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.20, for a total transaction of $431,466.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,360,514.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total value of $389,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 90,795 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,900,767.05. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 77,065 shares of company stock worth $4,526,464. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VTR. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Ventas in the third quarter valued at approximately $246,000. Whittier Trust Co. lifted its position in Ventas by 3.2% in the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 8,115 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $520,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Ventas by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 20,421 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,310,000 after purchasing an additional 558 shares in the last quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN boosted its stake in Ventas by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 200,684 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $12,870,000 after purchasing an additional 10,163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates raised its stake in shares of Ventas by 81.2% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 104,646 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $6,711,000 after buying an additional 46,887 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.