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

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $54.92.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Ventas from $55.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Ventas from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Ventas from $61.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday.

Ventas Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE VTR opened at $61.12 on Friday. Ventas has a 1-year low of $39.33 and a 1-year high of $61.35. The company has a market cap of $25.25 billion, a PE ratio of -321.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The company has a 50-day moving average of $54.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $48.67.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.75 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Ventas will post 3.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 40,079 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 986,717 shares in the company, valued at $56,529,016.93. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.87, for a total value of $1,177,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 156,403 shares in the company, valued at $9,207,444.61. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 40,079 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.29, for a total transaction of $2,296,125.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $56,529,016.93. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 64,238 shares of company stock worth $3,705,058. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. First Community Trust NA bought a new stake in shares of Ventas in the second quarter worth $25,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 77.9% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ventas in the second quarter worth $27,000. First Financial Corp IN bought a new stake in shares of Ventas in the first quarter worth $30,000. Finally, EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ventas in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. 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.