Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Upgraded to Hold at StockNews.com

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on VTR. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Ventas from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Evercore ISI upgraded Ventas from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, March 18th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on Ventas from $47.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ventas currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $51.46.

Ventas Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of VTR stock opened at $52.99 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.45 billion, a PE ratio of -278.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.33. Ventas has a 1-year low of $39.33 and a 1-year high of $53.13. The business has a 50-day moving average of $49.54 and a 200 day moving average of $46.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.63.

Insider Activity

In other Ventas news, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 2,145 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.40, for a total transaction of $103,818.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 26,031 shares in the company, valued at $1,259,900.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Ventas news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 14,625 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.70, for a total transaction of $697,612.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 12,524 shares in the company, valued at $597,394.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 2,145 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.40, for a total value of $103,818.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 26,031 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,259,900.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 35,270 shares of company stock worth $1,672,966 in the last quarter. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ventas

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VTR. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ventas in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ventas by 77.9% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 514 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the period. First Financial Corp IN bought a new stake in shares of Ventas in the first quarter worth $30,000. Gradient Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ventas by 82.7% in the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 718 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares during the period. Finally, EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ventas in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. 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.