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

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

VTR has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Ventas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Wedbush raised their target price on Ventas from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ventas has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $63.63.

Ventas Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VTR opened at $65.96 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $27.25 billion, a PE ratio of -164.90, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $62.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $54.31. Ventas has a twelve month low of $40.98 and a twelve month high of $66.18.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.79 by ($0.74). Ventas had a negative return on equity of 1.63% and a negative net margin of 3.33%. The business had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.75 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ventas will post 3.18 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 1st. Ventas’s payout ratio is -449.99%.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 40,079 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.29, for a total value of $2,296,125.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $56,529,016.93. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Ventas news, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 3,784 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.24, for a total value of $209,028.16. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 104,295 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,761,255.80. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 40,079 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.29, for a total value of $2,296,125.91. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $56,529,016.93. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 77,065 shares of company stock valued at $4,526,464. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventas

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new position in shares of Ventas in the 2nd quarter worth $135,425,000. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new position in Ventas in the second quarter valued at $73,517,000. Centersquare Investment Management LLC raised its position in Ventas by 11.5% during the first quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 7,806,396 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $345,667,000 after purchasing an additional 802,546 shares in the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI lifted its stake in Ventas by 217.4% during the second quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI now owns 856,525 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $43,905,000 after purchasing an additional 586,676 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 1,247.7% in the 2nd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 496,531 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $25,452,000 after purchasing an additional 459,689 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently 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.