StockNews.com Upgrades Ventas (NYSE:VTR) to Hold

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Friday.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on VTR. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Ventas from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of Ventas in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.13.

Ventas Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of Ventas stock opened at $58.85 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $60.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $60.41. The stock has a market cap of $24.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -346.15, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.37. Ventas has a 12-month low of $41.45 and a 12-month high of $67.61.

Insider Activity at Ventas

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 121,248 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total transaction of $8,022,980.16. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,291,063.89. The trade was a 10.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventas

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. acquired a new position in Ventas during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Ventas by 66.2% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 527 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Ventas during the 3rd quarter worth $48,000. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the 3rd quarter worth about $64,000. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the 3rd quarter worth about $74,000. Hedge funds and other 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.