Wedbush Raises Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Price Target to $78.00

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) had its target price upped by analysts at Wedbush from $69.00 to $78.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock. Wedbush’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 18.10% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on VTR. StockNews.com upgraded Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Mizuho cut their price target on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Scotiabank upped their price target on Ventas from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Robert W. Baird upgraded Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $69.14.

Ventas Trading Up 1.7 %

VTR traded up $1.11 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $66.05. 1,032,147 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,414,997. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $59.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $61.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -388.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Ventas has a 52 week low of $41.45 and a 52 week high of $67.61.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a negative return on equity of 0.69% and a negative net margin of 1.38%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ventas will post 3.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in Ventas by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 8,120 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $521,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its holdings in Ventas by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 34,973 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,060,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the period. Personal CFO Solutions LLC raised its holdings in Ventas by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 5,186 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $305,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings in Ventas by 17.0% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,221 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the period. Finally, HighPoint Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in Ventas by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 6,644 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $396,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the period. 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.