Head to Head Contrast: Ventas (NYSE:VTR) vs. American Strategic Investment (NYSE:NYC)

American Strategic Investment (NYSE:NYC) and Ventas (NYSE:VTR) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, risk and dividends.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

48.0% of American Strategic Investment shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 94.2% of Ventas shares are held by institutional investors. 1.4% of American Strategic Investment shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of Ventas shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Dividends

American Strategic Investment pays an annual dividend of $0.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.4%. Ventas pays an annual dividend of $1.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.0%. American Strategic Investment pays out -0.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Ventas pays out -947.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years.

Profitability

This table compares American Strategic Investment and Ventas’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
American Strategic Investment	-162.43%	-13.63%	-4.88%
Ventas	-3.33%	-1.63%	-0.63%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares American Strategic Investment and Ventas’ revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
American Strategic Investment	$62.63 million	0.37	-$105.92 million	($44.41)	-0.20
Ventas	$4.72 billion	5.11	-$40.97 million	($0.19)	-313.58

Ventas has higher revenue and earnings than American Strategic Investment. Ventas is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than American Strategic Investment, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for American Strategic Investment and Ventas, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
American Strategic Investment	0	0	0	0	N/A
Ventas	0	4	9	1	2.79

Ventas has a consensus price target of $54.31, indicating a potential downside of 8.85%. Given Ventas’ higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Ventas is more favorable than American Strategic Investment.

Volatility and Risk

American Strategic Investment has a beta of 0.11, suggesting that its share price is 89% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ventas has a beta of 1.33, suggesting that its share price is 33% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Ventas beats American Strategic Investment on 13 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

About American Strategic Investment

American Strategic Investment Co. (NYSE: NYC) owns a portfolio of high-quality commercial real estate located within the five boroughs of New York City.

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. Ventas leverages its unmatched operational expertise, data-driven insights from its Ventas Operational InsightsTM platform, extensive relationships and strong financial position to achieve its goal of delivering outsized performance across approximately 1,400 properties. The Ventas portfolio is composed of senior housing communities, outpatient medical buildings, research centers and healthcare facilities in North America and the United Kingdom. The Company benefits from a seasoned team of talented professionals who share a commitment to excellence, integrity and a common purpose of helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives.