Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Rating Lowered to Sell at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ventas (NYSE:VTR) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Thursday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on VTR. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 target price on shares of Ventas in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Ventas from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Scotiabank lifted 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $65.67.

Ventas Price Performance

Shares of VTR opened at $58.23 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The stock has a market cap of $24.43 billion, a PE ratio of -342.51, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.37. Ventas has a 12-month low of $41.45 and a 12-month high of $67.61. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $61.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $60.10.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,058.82%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total transaction of $8,022,980.16. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,291,063.89. This represents a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventas

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VTR. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in Ventas by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 29,933 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,756,000 after buying an additional 1,369 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Ventas by 12.9% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,299 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $489,000 after acquiring an additional 950 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Ventas by 2.2% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 27,557,480 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,767,261,000 after acquiring an additional 599,600 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Ventas by 11.5% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,252,460 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $80,070,000 after purchasing an additional 128,945 shares during the period. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 12,712 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $815,000 after purchasing an additional 1,336 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is owned by 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.