Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Scotiabank Analyst Says

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) had its target price lifted by Scotiabank from $68.00 to $69.00 in a research report report published on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a sector perform rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on VTR. Baird R W upgraded shares of Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded 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 note on Tuesday, October 1st. Robert W. Baird raised Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.63.

Ventas Trading Down 1.9 %

NYSE VTR opened at $59.68 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.03 billion, a PE ratio of -351.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.37. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $60.18 and its 200 day moving average is $60.92. Ventas has a twelve month low of $41.45 and a twelve month high of $67.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.02%. Ventas’s payout ratio is -1,058.76%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Ventas by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 27,557,480 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,767,261,000 after purchasing an additional 599,600 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in Ventas by 2.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,671,227 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,710,426,000 after acquiring an additional 581,870 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Ventas by 4.4% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,364,810 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,498,385,000 after acquiring an additional 982,795 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Ventas by 2.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,411,293 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $665,559,000 after acquiring an additional 245,922 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in Ventas by 105.2% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,420,322 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $347,605,000 after purchasing an additional 2,778,408 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.