Ventas’ (VTR) “Outperform” Rating Reiterated at Wedbush

Wedbush restated their outperform rating on shares of Ventas (NYSE:VTR) in a report issued on Tuesday morning,RTT News reports. Wedbush currently has a $75.00 target price on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Scotiabank raised their target price on Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. StockNews.com raised Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $64.13.

Ventas Stock Up 0.8 %

VTR stock opened at $62.77 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $26.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -369.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.04. The business’s 50-day moving average is $64.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.33. Ventas has a fifty-two week low of $41.45 and a fifty-two week high of $67.61.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st were issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.87%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is presently -1,058.76%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total transaction of $8,022,980.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,291,063.89. This represents a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total transaction of $389,940.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 90,795 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,900,767.05. The trade was a 6.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 140,079 shares of company stock worth $9,241,311 in the last three months. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Community Trust NA purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in Ventas in the second quarter worth $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Ventas during the second quarter valued at $41,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Ventas during the third quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new position in shares of Ventas in the 2nd quarter worth $51,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by 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.