Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Price Target Raised to $80.00 at Scotiabank

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) had its price objective lifted by Scotiabank from $74.00 to $80.00 in a research note published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. Scotiabank currently has a sector perform rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on VTR. Citigroup raised their price target on Ventas from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Ventas in a research report on Friday, September 19th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $78.00 target price (up from $74.00) on shares of Ventas in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Ventas from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Ventas from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $77.36.

Ventas Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:VTR traded up $0.77 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $78.01. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,985,174 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,001,760. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $70.46 and a 200-day moving average of $67.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 150.01, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.88. Ventas has a 12-month low of $56.68 and a 12-month high of $78.09.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.01. Ventas had a net margin of 4.28% and a return on equity of 2.10%. The company had revenue of $1.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.44 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.80 EPS. Ventas’s revenue was up 20.5% on a year-over-year basis. Ventas has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.450-3.480 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ventas will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th were issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 369.23%.

Insider Transactions at Ventas

In other news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 19,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.29, for a total transaction of $1,449,332.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,145,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $86,259,376.55. This represents a 1.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 870 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.28, for a total transaction of $65,493.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 111,694 shares in the company, valued at $8,408,324.32. This trade represents a 0.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 619,027 shares of company stock valued at $45,212,873. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventas

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VTR. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Ventas during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Ventas by 1,334.6% in the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 373 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 347 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in shares of Ventas by 1,557.7% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 431 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 405 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 76.1% during the 3rd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 456 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its stake in shares of Ventas by 65.5% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 455 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.