Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the ten ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two 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 company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $65.67.

VTR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Mizuho dropped 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. StockNews.com upgraded Ventas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, December 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Ventas from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VTR traded down $0.93 on Thursday, hitting $57.96. The company had a trading volume of 2,958,139 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,460,485. The stock has a market cap of $24.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -340.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.36. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $62.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $59.84. Ventas has a 1-year low of $41.45 and a 1-year high of $67.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. Ventas's dividend payout ratio is presently -1,058.82%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at $65,291,063.89. The trade was a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventas

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 1.8% during the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 19,863 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,018,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Ventas by 28.3% during the second quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 112,853 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $5,785,000 after buying an additional 24,864 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in Ventas by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 787,359 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $40,360,000 after acquiring an additional 18,521 shares in the last quarter. Naviter Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Ventas by 4.4% in the second quarter. Naviter Wealth LLC now owns 28,992 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,486,000 after acquiring an additional 1,230 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its position in Ventas by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 34,801 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,784,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.