Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ventas (NYSE:VTR) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday.

VTR has been the subject of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Ventas from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Scotiabank raised their price target on Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their target price on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ventas currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $67.13.

Ventas Trading Up 0.8 %

Ventas stock opened at $58.85 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. Ventas has a 12-month low of $41.45 and a 12-month high of $67.61. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $60.75 and a 200 day moving average of $60.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -346.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.37.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.06%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -1,058.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at $65,291,063.89. This represents a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventas

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Friedenthal Financial increased its holdings in Ventas by 1,183.7% in the third quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 12,773 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $819,000 after buying an additional 11,778 shares in the last quarter. Tandem Capital Management Corp ADV increased its holdings in Ventas by 62.1% in the third quarter. Tandem Capital Management Corp ADV now owns 27,730 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,778,000 after buying an additional 10,620 shares in the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd purchased a new position in Ventas in the third quarter valued at about $544,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its holdings in Ventas by 7.9% in the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 332,300 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $21,310,000 after buying an additional 24,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, abrdn plc increased its holdings in Ventas by 28.7% in the third quarter. abrdn plc now owns 961,359 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $61,878,000 after buying an additional 214,384 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.