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

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

VTR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Mizuho raised their price target on Ventas from $53.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $46.00 price target (down from $52.00) on shares of Ventas in a report on Monday, February 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Ventas in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $60.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI raised Ventas from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, March 18th.

Ventas Stock Up 1.5 %

VTR opened at $44.01 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.51 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $43.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $45.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.78 billion, a P/E ratio of -400.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.26. Ventas has a 12 month low of $39.33 and a 12 month high of $50.99.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 28th. Ventas’s payout ratio is -1,636.21%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in Ventas by 31.0% during the first quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 6,877 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $299,000 after buying an additional 1,626 shares in the last quarter. Dakota Wealth Management purchased a new position in Ventas during the first quarter worth $1,454,000. Simplicity Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Ventas during the first quarter worth $250,000. Busey Bank grew its position in shares of Ventas by 2.3% in the first quarter. Busey Bank now owns 90,567 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,943,000 after purchasing an additional 2,066 shares during the period. Finally, Swisher Financial Concepts Inc. grew its position in shares of Ventas by 11.4% in the first quarter. Swisher Financial Concepts Inc. now owns 15,217 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $648,000 after purchasing an additional 1,554 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.