Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Raised to "Strong-Buy" at Cantor Fitzgerald

Key Points

• Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Ventas to a "strong-buy" rating with a price target of $77.00, indicating a potential upside of 10.25% from the current stock price.
• Ventas reported an EPS of $0.87 for its latest quarter, exceeding the consensus estimate of $0.85, with revenue increasing by 18.3% year-over-year.
• Insider transactions saw CFO Robert F. Probst selling nearly 30,000 shares, while CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli also made a smaller sale, reflecting some level of insider selling activity.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued on Wednesday, MarketBeat reports. The firm presently has a $77.00 price objective on the real estate investment trust's stock. Cantor Fitzgerald's target price would suggest a potential upside of 10.25% from the stock's current price.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Ventas from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 28th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Ventas in a research note on Friday, September 19th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $73.00 target price for the company. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $78.00 target price (up from $74.00) on shares of Ventas in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Argus reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Ventas from $72.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $75.23.

Ventas Trading Down 0.7%

VTR traded down $0.48 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $69.84. 1,984,352 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,039,335. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 162.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $68.11 and a 200 day moving average of $66.36. Ventas has a 12-month low of $56.68 and a 12-month high of $71.36.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ventas news, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 29,691 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.49, for a total transaction of $2,033,536.59. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 168,364 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,531,250.36. The trade was a 14.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Peter J. Bulgarelli sold 406 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total value of $28,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 121,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,475,740. The trade was a 0.33% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 277,194 shares of company stock worth $18,307,501 over the last 90 days. 0.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. boosted its stake in Ventas by 3.8% in the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 4,260 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $269,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Ventas by 3.8% in the second quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 4,335 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $274,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its stake in Ventas by 3.9% in the first quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 4,440 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $305,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Ventas by 1.6% in the first quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,674 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $734,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kentucky Retirement Systems boosted its stake in Ventas by 0.6% in the first quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 28,574 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,965,000 after acquiring an additional 183 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.

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