Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Buy" by Analysts

Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Buy" by the nine ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $65.63.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and set a $75.00 target price on shares of Ventas in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. StockNews.com raised Ventas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price objective on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ventas

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total transaction of $8,022,980.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at $65,291,063.89. This trade represents a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was 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 directly owns 90,795 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,900,767.05. The trade was a 6.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 133,252 shares of company stock worth $8,809,845 in the last quarter. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventas

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Ventas by 11.5% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,252,460 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $80,070,000 after buying an additional 128,945 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 12,712 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $815,000 after acquiring an additional 1,336 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ventas by 18.4% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 9,952 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $634,000 after purchasing an additional 1,550 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Ventas by 29.1% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 32,455 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,063,000 after purchasing an additional 7,307 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank raised its position in Ventas by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 202,965 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $13,016,000 after purchasing an additional 5,870 shares during the period. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of VTR stock traded down $0.48 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $61.65. 2,004,671 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,415,162. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $63.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.54. 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 has a 12-month low of $41.45 and a 12-month high of $67.61.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. Ventas's payout ratio is presently -1,058.76%.

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.