Cantor Fitzgerald Initiates Coverage on Ventas (NYSE:VTR)

Stock analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of Ventas (NYSE:VTR) in a research note issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage set an “overweight” rating and a $77.00 price target on the real estate investment trust’s stock. Cantor Fitzgerald’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 10.59% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $78.00 price target (up from $74.00) on shares of Ventas in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Ventas from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Ventas in a report on Friday, September 19th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Ventas from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 28th. Finally, Argus reissued a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $75.23.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of VTR stock opened at $69.63 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $68.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.37. The company has a market cap of $31.64 billion, a PE ratio of 161.92, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. Ventas has a 12-month low of $56.68 and a 12-month high of $71.36.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.37 billion. Ventas had a return on equity of 1.75% and a net margin of 3.61%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.80 earnings per share. Ventas has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.410-3.46 EPS. Analysts expect that Ventas will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ventas

In other news, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 2,554 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.26, for a total transaction of $179,444.04. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,184,446.88. This represents a 2.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 10,322 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.24, for a total transaction of $725,017.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,145,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,473,616.80. The trade was a 0.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 292,110 shares of company stock valued at $19,354,742. 0.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventas

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Ventas by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 24,682 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,454,000 after purchasing an additional 2,263 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Ventas by 16.6% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,865 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $266,000 after purchasing an additional 550 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ventas during the 1st quarter worth about $65,000. Merit Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Ventas by 26.3% during the 1st quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 26,651 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,833,000 after purchasing an additional 5,548 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Ventas by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,674 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $734,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.