Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Given New $72.00 Price Target at Scotiabank

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) had its price target raised by research analysts at Scotiabank from $69.00 to $72.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "sector perform" rating on the real estate investment trust's stock. Scotiabank's price objective suggests a potential upside of 2.39% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Baird R W raised Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Robert W. Baird raised Ventas from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Wedbush lifted their target price on Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Ventas from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $71.14.

Ventas Price Performance

VTR stock traded up $1.14 during trading on Friday, reaching $70.32. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,812,924 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,723,468. The company's fifty day moving average is $61.14 and its 200-day moving average is $62.29. Ventas has a 1 year low of $41.45 and a 1 year high of $71.00. The company has a market capitalization of $30.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 370.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 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, research analysts expect that Ventas will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 214,679 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.22, for a total transaction of $14,645,401.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,138,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at $77,644,115.46. This trade represents a 15.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total value of $243,558.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at $716,373. This trade represents a 25.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Ventas by 66.2% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 527 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Promus Capital LLC acquired a new position in Ventas during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ventas during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 1,039.4% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 809 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 738 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.