Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $51.25.

A number of research firms recently commented on VTR. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Ventas in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $60.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America raised shares of Ventas from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $48.00 to $53.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $46.00 target price (down previously from $52.00) on shares of Ventas in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Evercore ISI upgraded Ventas from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, March 18th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th.

Ventas Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VTR opened at $46.79 on Friday. Ventas has a one year low of $39.33 and a one year high of $50.99. The stock has a market cap of $18.91 billion, a PE ratio of -246.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.25. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $43.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $45.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.51.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 1st were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.85%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 28th. Ventas’s payout ratio is currently -947.32%.

Institutional Trading of Ventas

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Ventas during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Ventas by 77.9% during the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 514 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the period. First Financial Corp IN acquired a new stake in Ventas in the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in Ventas by 151.1% in the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 796 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 479 shares during the period. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ventas by 82.7% during the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 718 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 325 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.