Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Given New $99.00 Price Target at UBS Group

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) had its price objective raised by UBS Group from $90.00 to $99.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

VTR has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Ventas from $104.00 to $96.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Ventas from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Ventas from $98.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Ventas from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Ventas from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $99.68.

Ventas Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VTR opened at $90.36 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $86.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $86.89. Ventas has a 1-year low of $73.82 and a 1-year high of $101.60. The stock has a market cap of $47.79 billion, a PE ratio of 170.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.70 and a beta of 0.77.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.98 by ($0.85). The business had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.77 billion. Ventas had a net margin of 3.86% and a return on equity of 1.86%. The business’s revenue was up 23.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.88 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Ventas will post 3.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th were given a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 30th. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 392.45%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ventas during the second quarter worth about $4,953,439,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Ventas by 3.6% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,190,594 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $588,045,000 after purchasing an additional 253,019 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in Ventas during the second quarter valued at approximately $501,850,000. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in Ventas during the second quarter valued at approximately $451,822,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in Ventas by 5.5% during the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,981,404 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $442,349,000 after purchasing an additional 258,859 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

About Ventas

Ventas, Inc. is a real estate investment trust focused on properties and services that support the health care and senior living sectors. Its portfolio includes senior housing communities, outpatient medical buildings, and research and life science facilities. The company owns and invests in properties across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Many of its communities and facilities are operated by health care and senior living providers, while Ventas provides real estate capital and asset management.