Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Sets New 52-Week High - Here's Why

Key Points

• Ventas shares reached a new 52-week high of $102, up 1.5% from the prior close, amid broadly positive analyst sentiment. Fifteen analysts rate the healthcare REIT a Buy, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $96.50.
• The company reported quarterly revenue of $1.65 billion, exceeding estimates of $1.59 billion and increasing 22% year over year, though adjusted EPS of $0.11 narrowly missed expectations.
• Ventas paid a quarterly dividend of $0.52 per share, equivalent to an annualized $2.08 dividend and a 2.0% yield. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company, while insider ownership is 0.53%.

Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $102.00 and last traded at $102.00, with a volume of 946 shares. The stock had previously closed at $100.53.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Ventas from $91.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $110.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on Ventas in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $94.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised Ventas from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Ventas from $93.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ventas currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $96.50.

Ventas Trading Up 1.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.25. The company has a market capitalization of $49.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 185.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.70. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $88.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $84.91.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.12 by ($0.01). Ventas had a return on equity of 2.09% and a net margin of 4.25%.The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.84 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 22.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.88 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Ventas's payout ratio is currently 378.18%.

Insider Activity

In other Ventas news, Director Michael J. Embler acquired 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $78.81 per share, for a total transaction of $197,025.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 19,202 shares in the company, valued at $1,513,309.62. This represents a 14.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 1,152 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.20, for a total transaction of $103,910.40. Following the sale, the director owned 28,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,557,079.80. This represents a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Angeles Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ventas by 4.0% in the first quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,329 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $274,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Ventas by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 6,790 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $525,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Ventas by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,415 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $343,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. Cigna Investments Inc. New increased its stake in shares of Ventas by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 4,396 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $341,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Ventas by 1.2% during the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 12,894 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,054,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company's stock.

Ventas Company Profile

Ventas, Inc NYSE: VTR is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that specializes in healthcare-related real estate. The company acquires, owns and manages a diversified portfolio of properties serving the healthcare continuum, including senior housing communities, skilled nursing facilities, medical office buildings, life science and research centers, and other properties leased to healthcare providers and operators. Ventas generates revenue through long-term leases, property management and selective development activities focused on meeting the real estate needs of the healthcare sector.

Ventas' business model combines property ownership with active asset management and capital markets activity.

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