Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Price Target Raised to $70.00 at Evercore ISI

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) had its price target boosted by Evercore ISI from $64.00 to $70.00 in a report issued on Monday morning, Benzinga reports. Evercore ISI currently has an outperform rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on VTR. Wolfe Research upgraded Ventas to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Wedbush raised their price target on shares of Ventas from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Ventas from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Ventas from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $57.45.

Ventas Stock Performance

NYSE:VTR opened at $62.20 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.70 billion, a PE ratio of -327.35, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.36. Ventas has a 1 year low of $39.33 and a 1 year high of $65.64. The company has a current ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $58.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $50.83.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.79 by ($0.74). The company had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.19 billion. Ventas had a negative net margin of 3.33% and a negative return on equity of 1.63%. Ventas’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.75 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ventas will post 3.18 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.89%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -947.32%.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In other Ventas news, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total value of $389,940.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 90,795 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,900,767.05. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total transaction of $389,940.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 90,795 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,900,767.05. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.87, for a total value of $1,177,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 156,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,207,444.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 77,065 shares of company stock valued at $4,526,464 over the last ninety days. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VTR. First Community Trust NA acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Ventas in the second quarter worth $27,000. First Financial Corp IN bought a new position in shares of Ventas during the first quarter worth $30,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ventas in the 2nd quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in shares of Ventas in the 2nd quarter valued at $51,000. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

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.