Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Given New $70.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

by · The Cerbat Gem

Ventas (NYSE:VTR – Free Report) had its target price increased by Morgan Stanley from $65.00 to $70.00 in a research note released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

Several other research firms have also commented on VTR. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Ventas from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Robert W. Baird upgraded Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Ventas from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on Ventas from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.20.

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Ventas Price Performance

Shares of Ventas stock opened at $66.26 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. Ventas has a twelve month low of $41.45 and a twelve month high of $71.04. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $62.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $62.83. The firm has a market cap of $28.97 billion, a PE ratio of 348.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.37.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a return on equity of 0.82% and a net margin of 1.65%. Sell-side analysts predict that Ventas will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This is a boost from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.90%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 1,010.53%.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 214,679 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.22, for a total value of $14,645,401.38. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,138,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $77,644,115.46. This represents a 15.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total value of $243,558.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at $716,373. This represents a 25.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 260,227 shares of company stock worth $17,769,097. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. acquired a new position in Ventas in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in Ventas by 66.2% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 527 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Promus Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Ventas in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Ventas in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in Ventas by 1,039.4% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 809 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares during the period. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ventas

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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.

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