Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Lowered to Sell Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Ventas (NYSE:VTR) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report released on Thursday morning.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Scotiabank boosted 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ventas presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $65.67.

Ventas Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:VTR opened at $58.23 on Thursday. Ventas has a 52-week low of $41.45 and a 52-week high of $67.61. 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 company has a market capitalization of $24.43 billion, a P/E ratio of -342.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $61.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $60.10.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.09%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,058.82%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total value of $8,022,980.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,291,063.89. The trade was a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas in the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in Ventas in the third quarter valued at about $64,000. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. bought a new position in Ventas in the third quarter valued at about $74,000. Tobam acquired a new position in Ventas during the third quarter worth about $79,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Ventas in the third quarter worth about $80,000. 94.18% of the stock is owned by 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.