Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Sets New 52-Week High – Here’s Why

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $102.00 and last traded at $102.00, with a volume of 946 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $100.53.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on VTR shares. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $95.00 target price on shares of Ventas in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Ventas from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of Ventas in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $94.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Ventas from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Ventas from $91.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ventas has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.50.

Ventas Trading Up 1.5%

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $88.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $84.91. The company has a market cap of $49.59 billion, a PE ratio of 185.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. Ventas had a return on equity of 2.09% and a net margin of 4.25%.Ventas’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.84 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.88 EPS for the current year.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. Ventas’s payout ratio is currently 378.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ventas

In related news, Director Walter C. Rakowich sold 1,152 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.20, for a total transaction of $103,910.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 28,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,557,079.80. This trade represents a 3.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Michael J. Embler acquired 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $78.81 per share, with a total value of $197,025.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 19,202 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,513,309.62. This represents a 14.97% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in shares of Ventas by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 3,904,293 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $302,114,000 after acquiring an additional 27,688 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Ventas by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,868,962 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $222,000,000 after purchasing an additional 70,459 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Ventas during the 4th quarter valued at about $474,571,000. LDR Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,746,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Ventas by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,346,111 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $104,095,000 after purchasing an additional 92,236 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

About Ventas

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.