Wedbush Issues Positive Forecast for Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Stock Price

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) had its target price increased by Wedbush from $69.00 to $78.00 in a research note released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the real estate investment trust's stock. Wedbush also issued estimates for Ventas' FY2026 earnings at $3.72 EPS.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Ventas from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ventas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Ventas from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $66.00 to $65.00 in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Baird R W raised shares of Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $69.14.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of VTR stock traded up $0.19 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $66.72. The company had a trading volume of 3,394,590 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,555,377. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $59.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $61.68. Ventas has a one year low of $41.45 and a one year high of $67.61. The firm has a market cap of $27.99 billion, a PE ratio of -392.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a negative net margin of 1.38% and a negative return on equity of 0.69%. Sell-side analysts predict that Ventas will post 3.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Ventas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Ventas's payout ratio is 1,010.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VTR. CWM LLC increased its stake in Ventas by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,532 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $547,000 after purchasing an additional 711 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its stake in Ventas by 2,671.0% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 2,577 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $165,000 after purchasing an additional 2,484 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning increased its stake in Ventas by 9.5% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 52,798 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $3,386,000 after purchasing an additional 4,593 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. acquired a new position in Ventas during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $226,000. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Ventas by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 5,639 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $362,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares in 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.