Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)’s share price hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $88.16 and last traded at $88.04, with a volume of 198292 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $86.56.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on VTR. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Ventas from $83.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley set a $90.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Ventas from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Ventas from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Argus set a $88.00 target price on shares of Ventas in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $89.00.

Ventas Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $41.77 billion, a PE ratio of 162.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $81.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $76.73.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by ($0.74). Ventas had a return on equity of 2.09% and a net margin of 4.31%.The company had revenue of ($1,229.71) million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.81 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Ventas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.780-3.880 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. This is an increase from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 355.56%.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In other news, EVP Carey S. Roberts sold 35,532 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.00, for a total transaction of $3,020,220.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 72,755 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,184,175. The trade was a 32.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 10,322 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.66, for a total value of $801,606.52. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,114,034 shares in the company, valued at approximately $86,515,880.44. This trade represents a 0.92% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 86,106 shares of company stock worth $6,931,397. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ventas during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Wiser Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas during the third quarter worth $27,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position in Ventas by 1,557.7% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 431 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new stake in Ventas during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Company Profile

Ventas, Inc (NYSE: VTR) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that specializes in healthcare-related real estate. The company acquires, owns and manages a diversified portfolio of properties serving the healthcare continuum, including senior housing communities, skilled nursing facilities, medical office buildings, life science and research centers, and other properties leased to healthcare providers and operators. Ventas generates revenue through long-term leases, property management and selective development activities focused on meeting the real estate needs of the healthcare sector.

Ventas’ business model combines property ownership with active asset management and capital markets activity.