Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Rating Increased to Buy at Argus

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Argus from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued on Friday, Marketbeat reports.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on VTR. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Ventas from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Wedbush lifted their price objective on Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Robert W. Baird upgraded Ventas from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Baird R W raised Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ventas has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $72.20.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VTR traded down $0.91 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $66.60. The stock had a trading volume of 3,335,322 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,379,137. The company has a 50 day moving average of $62.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $62.73. Ventas has a twelve month low of $41.45 and a twelve month high of $71.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market cap of $29.11 billion, a PE ratio of 350.53, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.37.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total value of $243,558.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $716,373. The trade was a 25.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 214,679 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.22, for a total value of $14,645,401.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,138,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $77,644,115.46. This trade represents a 15.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 260,227 shares of company stock worth $17,769,097. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Ventas

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in Ventas by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 20,810 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,335,000 after purchasing an additional 704 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR boosted its position in Ventas by 18.0% during the third quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 5,170 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $332,000 after acquiring an additional 789 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in Ventas by 74.2% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,258 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $209,000 after acquiring an additional 1,388 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in Ventas by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 15,006 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $962,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its stake in Ventas by 50.7% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 89,472 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $5,738,000 after purchasing an additional 30,120 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.