Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Sets New 52-Week High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Ventas hit a new 52-week high (intraday high $88.41) and carries a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with a $91.47 average price target after several firms raised their targets (Goldman $100, Wells Fargo $93, KeyCorp $90).
• The company reported Q1 EPS of $0.11 (missing the $0.12 estimate) while revenue rose 22% YoY to $1.65 billion, and management set FY2026 guidance of 3.820–3.890 EPS (sell-side consensus ~3.85).
• Ventas raised its quarterly dividend to $0.52 ($2.08 annualized, ~2.4% yield), but the payout ratio is very high (385.19%); notable insider sales were also reported recently.

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $88.41 and last traded at $87.47, with a volume of 799307 shares. The stock had previously closed at $87.37.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on VTR. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Ventas from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a report on Monday, February 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Ventas from $88.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Argus set a $88.00 price objective on Ventas in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on Ventas from $80.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $91.47.

Ventas Stock Up 0.6%

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $84.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $79.98. The firm has a market cap of $41.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 159.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.12 by ($0.01). Ventas had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 2.13%. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.84 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 22.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Ventas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.820-3.890 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.85 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. This is a positive change from Ventas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Ventas's payout ratio is 385.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ventas

In other Ventas news, EVP Carey S. Roberts sold 35,532 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.00, for a total transaction of $3,020,220.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 72,755 shares in the company, valued at $6,184,175. This trade represents a 32.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 10,322 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.66, for a total transaction of $801,606.52. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,114,034 shares of the company's stock, valued at $86,515,880.44. This trade represents a 0.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventas

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the third quarter worth $25,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Wiser Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the third quarter worth $27,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 1,557.7% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 431 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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