Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $67.67 and last traded at $67.22, with a volume of 236549 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $66.08.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Ventas from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Ventas from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Baird R W raised Ventas from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Wedbush lifted their target price on Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ventas has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $70.71.

Ventas Stock Up 0.6 %

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $60.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $62.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The company has a market cap of $29.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 358.84, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.37.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a return on equity of 0.82% and a net margin of 1.65%. On average, research analysts forecast that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.82%. This is an increase from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 1,010.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ventas news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total value of $243,558.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $716,373. This trade represents a 25.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ventas

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ventas in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Ventas by 66.2% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 527 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Promus Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ventas in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Ventas during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Ventas by 1,039.4% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 809 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 738 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Company Profile

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.