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

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three research 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 brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $51.25.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on VTR. Bank of America raised shares of Ventas from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $48.00 to $53.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Ventas from $53.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Ventas from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, March 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $46.00 price target (down previously from $52.00) on shares of Ventas in a report on Monday, February 26th.

Ventas Price Performance

VTR opened at $43.81 on Friday. Ventas has a 52 week low of $39.33 and a 52 week high of $50.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.70 billion, a PE ratio of -398.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.51. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $43.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $45.12.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.11%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,636.21%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventas

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FMR LLC lifted its position in Ventas by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 22,246,452 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $937,243,000 after buying an additional 1,483,908 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Ventas by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 19,812,595 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $987,460,000 after buying an additional 120,614 shares in the last quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Ventas by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 7,003,850 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $349,072,000 after buying an additional 363,153 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Ventas by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,864,001 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $292,273,000 after buying an additional 19,643 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in shares of Ventas by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,575,523 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $234,897,000 after purchasing an additional 173,415 shares during the period. 94.18% of the stock is owned by 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.