Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Scotiabank Analyst Says

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Free Report) had its target price hoisted by Scotiabank from $71.00 to $72.00 in a research report report published on Monday,Benzinga reports. Scotiabank currently has a sector perform rating on the real estate investment trust's stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on VTR. Argus set a $75.00 price objective on Ventas in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Ventas from $72.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ventas from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $72.00 in a report on Monday. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Ventas from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Ventas from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $72.90.

Ventas Trading Down 0.3%

Ventas stock traded down $0.16 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $63.35. 3,653,119 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,869,137. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market cap of $28.59 billion, a PE ratio of 191.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $65.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $63.90. Ventas has a 12-month low of $49.65 and a 12-month high of $71.36.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.32 billion. Ventas had a net margin of 2.80% and a return on equity of 1.36%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.78 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Ventas will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. Ventas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 581.82%.

Insider Activity

In other Ventas news, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 1,459 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.76, for a total value of $93,025.84. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 27,454 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,750,467.04. The trade was a 5.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Carey S. Roberts sold 23,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.23, for a total transaction of $1,509,405.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 116,650 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,492,429.50. This trade represents a 16.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 165,586 shares of company stock valued at $10,997,929 in the last ninety days. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VTR. AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs purchased a new position in Ventas in the 1st quarter valued at $1,338,000. Swedbank AB increased its position in Ventas by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 465,434 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $32,003,000 after purchasing an additional 28,648 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ventas by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 122,962 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $8,455,000 after buying an additional 3,746 shares in the last quarter. Nicola Wealth Management LTD. acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,169,000. Finally, Militia Capital Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of Ventas by 255.6% in the first quarter. Militia Capital Partners LP now owns 6,400 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $440,000 after buying an additional 4,600 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.