Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $67.67 and last traded at $67.22, with a volume of 236549 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $66.08.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on VTR shares. Mizuho dropped their price target on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Wedbush increased their target price on Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Ventas from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Baird R W raised shares of Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $69.14.

Ventas Stock Up 2.5 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.62 billion, a PE ratio of 356.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.37. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $60.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $61.96.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a net margin of 1.65% and a return on equity of 0.82%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.83%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 1,010.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ventas news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total value of $243,558.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at $716,373. This represents a 25.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VTR. DoubleLine ETF Adviser LP raised its position in Ventas by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. DoubleLine ETF Adviser LP now owns 29,695 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,749,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its holdings in shares of Ventas by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 34,973 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,060,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. Personal CFO Solutions LLC lifted its stake in Ventas by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 5,186 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $305,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in Ventas by 17.0% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,221 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. Finally, HighPoint Advisor Group LLC increased its position in Ventas by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 6,644 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $396,000 after buying an additional 181 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.