Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Given Outperform Rating at Wedbush

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "outperform" rating restated by equities research analysts at Wedbush in a research note issued on Thursday,RTT News reports. They currently have a $75.00 target price on the real estate investment trust's stock. Wedbush's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 29.92% from the company's current price.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI lifted 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 lowered Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Mizuho reduced their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ventas from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $65.63.

Ventas Trading Down 1.7 %

NYSE VTR traded down $0.97 on Thursday, hitting $57.73. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,330,193 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,430,024. The firm has a market cap of $24.22 billion, a P/E ratio of -339.57, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.36. Ventas has a 52-week low of $41.45 and a 52-week high of $67.61. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $63.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $59.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the business's 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventas

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 128,945 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp increased its stake in Ventas by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 12,712 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $815,000 after purchasing an additional 1,336 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC raised its holdings in Ventas by 18.4% during the third 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 last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its position in Ventas by 29.1% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 32,455 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,063,000 after purchasing an additional 7,307 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank grew its holdings in Ventas by 3.0% in the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 202,965 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $13,016,000 after purchasing an additional 5,870 shares during the last quarter. 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.

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