Weiss Ratings Upgrades Ventas (NYSE:VTR) to Buy (B-)

Key Points

• Weiss Ratings upgraded Ventas (NYSE:VTR) from a "hold" to a "buy" rating, indicating a positive outlook for the real estate investment trust.
• VTR shares experienced a 1.5% increase, trading at $70.98 during mid-day on Friday, with a significant trading volume of 825,225 shares.
• Multiple analysts have set various price targets for Ventas, with the average consensus suggesting a price target of around $75.46, reflecting a generally optimistic sentiment about the company's future performance.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Weiss Ratings from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a note issued to investors on Friday,Weiss Ratings reports.

VTR has been the topic of a number of other research reports. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Ventas in a report on Friday, September 19th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $73.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Ventas from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $78.00 price target (up from $74.00) on shares of Ventas in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of Ventas in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. They set an "overweight" rating and a $77.00 price target for the company. Finally, Argus reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $75.46.

Ventas Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of VTR traded up $1.02 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $70.98. The company had a trading volume of 825,225 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,962,796. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.68. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $68.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.51. Ventas has a 52 week low of $56.68 and a 52 week high of $72.02. The company has a market capitalization of $32.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 165.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.89.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.37 billion. Ventas had a return on equity of 1.75% and a net margin of 3.61%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 18.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.80 EPS. 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 year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 29,691 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 168,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,531,250.36. This trade represents a 14.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 219,515 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.32, for a total transaction of $15,655,809.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,145,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,710,967.40. This represents a 16.08% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 289,072 shares of company stock worth $20,427,497 over the last ninety days. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Ventas by 1,334.6% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 373 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in Ventas by 1,557.7% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 431 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ventas by 76.1% in the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 456 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, Rossby Financial LCC bought a new stake in Ventas during the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors 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.

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