Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Given New $70.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $65.00 to $70.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "equal weight" rating on the real estate investment trust's stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 3.67% from the company's current price.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Ventas from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $66.00 to $65.00 in a report on Friday, January 17th. Mizuho dropped their price target on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Baird R W upgraded Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Argus set a $75.00 price objective on Ventas in a report on Friday. Finally, Scotiabank increased their target price on Ventas from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $72.20.

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Ventas Price Performance

NYSE VTR traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $67.52. The company's stock had a trading volume of 250,744 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,364,807. Ventas has a 1 year low of $41.45 and a 1 year high of $71.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The company has a market capitalization of $29.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 355.57, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.37. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $62.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $62.73.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a net margin of 1.65% and a return on equity of 0.82%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Ventas will post 3.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Ventas news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total transaction of $243,558.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at $716,373. The trade was a 25.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 388 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.00, for a total value of $27,548.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,128,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,098,153. The trade was a 0.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 260,227 shares of company stock valued at $17,769,097. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ventas

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VTR. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its stake in Ventas by 7.9% in the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 332,300 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $21,310,000 after buying an additional 24,300 shares during the period. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. increased its position in shares of Ventas by 480.7% during the third quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. now owns 26,214 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,681,000 after acquiring an additional 21,700 shares during the period. Presima Securities ULC raised its stake in shares of Ventas by 38.0% during the fourth quarter. Presima Securities ULC now owns 439,942 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $25,908,000 after acquiring an additional 121,193 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 5.0% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,904,078 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $314,499,000 after purchasing an additional 231,352 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 3.5% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 302,947 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $19,428,000 after purchasing an additional 10,134 shares during the period. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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