Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Earns Neutral Rating from Analysts at UBS Group

Key Points

• UBS Group has initiated coverage on Ventas (NYSE:VTR) with a neutral rating and a price target of $73.00, indicating a potential upside of 7.31% from its current price.
• VTR shares have shown a twelve-month range, with a low of $56.68 and a high of $71.36, and the company reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.87 for the last quarter, exceeding expectations.
• Insider trading activity has been notable, with significant share sales by both CEO Debra A. Cafaro and CFO Robert F. Probst, reflecting a decrease in their stock holdings.

UBS Group started coverage on shares of Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued a neutral rating and a $73.00 target price on the real estate investment trust's stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on VTR. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Ventas from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Ventas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $78.00 target price (up from $74.00) on shares of Ventas in a report on Friday, August 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Ventas from $72.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Ventas from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ventas has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $75.08.

Ventas Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of Ventas stock traded up $0.78 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $67.91. 980,957 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,029,505. The company has a 50 day moving average of $67.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.24. Ventas has a fifty-two week low of $56.68 and a fifty-two week high of $71.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The stock has a market cap of $30.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 157.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.87.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.02. Ventas had a net margin of 3.61% and a return on equity of 1.75%. The company had revenue of $1.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.80 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 18.3% on a year-over-year basis. Ventas has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.410-3.46 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Ventas will post 3.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Ventas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 446.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ventas

In other news, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 168,318 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.36, for a total transaction of $11,001,264.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 168,364 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,004,271.04. This trade represents a 49.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 14,753 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.60, for a total transaction of $967,796.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,145,695 shares of the company's stock, valued at $75,157,592. The trade was a 1.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 277,194 shares of company stock valued at $18,307,501 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ethic Inc. lifted its holdings in Ventas by 27.9% in the first quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 66,748 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $4,624,000 after buying an additional 14,568 shares during the period. DAVENPORT & Co LLC acquired a new position in Ventas in the first quarter valued at $276,000. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC lifted its holdings in Ventas by 25.7% in the first quarter. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC now owns 376,973 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $25,921,000 after buying an additional 77,066 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Ventas in the first quarter valued at $65,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Ventas by 40.9% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 34,773 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,391,000 after buying an additional 10,091 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.18% of the company's stock.

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.