Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Cut to “Sell” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Ventas (NYSE:VTR) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note released on Monday.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on VTR. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Ventas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Scotiabank upped their target price on Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Ventas from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Wedbush upped their price objective on Ventas from $64.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Ventas from $52.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $63.63.

Ventas Stock Up 0.2 %

NYSE VTR opened at $65.96 on Monday. Ventas has a fifty-two week low of $40.98 and a fifty-two week high of $66.18. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $62.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $54.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.25 billion, a PE ratio of -164.90, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.36.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.79 by ($0.74). The business had revenue of $1.20 billion during 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%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.75 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Ventas will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 1st. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -449.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ventas news, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 3,784 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.24, for a total transaction of $209,028.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 104,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,761,255.80. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.87, for a total transaction of $1,177,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 156,403 shares in the company, valued at $9,207,444.61. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 3,784 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.24, for a total transaction of $209,028.16. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 104,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,761,255.80. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 quarter. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Centersquare Investment Management LLC increased its position in Ventas by 11.5% in the 1st quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 7,806,396 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $345,667,000 after buying an additional 802,546 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Ventas by 1.7% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,931,538 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $304,047,000 after acquiring an additional 96,482 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in shares of Ventas by 8.1% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,489,159 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $239,000,000 after purchasing an additional 413,564 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new position in shares of Ventas during the second quarter worth approximately $135,425,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 1,756,752 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $90,051,000 after purchasing an additional 7,585 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.