Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $51.25.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on VTR shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Ventas in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $60.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $46.00 target price (down previously from $52.00) on shares of Ventas in a report on Monday, February 26th. Bank of America raised Ventas from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $48.00 to $53.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Evercore ISI raised Ventas from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, March 18th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on Ventas from $53.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd.

Institutional Trading of Ventas

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VTR. AE Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ventas by 4.5% in the third quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 20,466 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $863,000 after buying an additional 883 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank increased its position in shares of Ventas by 48.7% during the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 70,425 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,967,000 after purchasing an additional 23,067 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its position in shares of Ventas by 2.2% during the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 262,957 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $11,078,000 after purchasing an additional 5,564 shares in the last quarter. Manning & Napier Group LLC increased its position in shares of Ventas by 0.7% during the third quarter. Manning & Napier Group LLC now owns 109,727 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $4,623,000 after purchasing an additional 735 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its position in shares of Ventas by 2.1% during the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 61,041 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,572,000 after purchasing an additional 1,262 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ventas Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VTR opened at $44.01 on Friday. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $39.33 and a fifty-two week high of $50.99. The company has a market cap of $17.78 billion, a PE ratio of -400.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.26. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $43.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $45.07.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 1st were given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.09%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 28th. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,636.21%.

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.