Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Hits New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $87.24 and last traded at $86.7680, with a volume of 3569143 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $85.24.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on VTR. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Ventas from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Scotiabank increased their price target on Ventas from $74.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $93.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a report on Monday, February 9th. Morgan Stanley set a $90.00 target price on Ventas in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Ventas from $88.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.87.

Ventas Stock Down 0.2%

The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $79.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $74.34. The company has a market capitalization of $40.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 158.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.77.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by ($0.74). The firm had revenue of ($1,229.71) million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. Ventas had a return on equity of 2.09% and a net margin of 4.31%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 21.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.81 earnings per share. Ventas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.780-3.880 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Ventas’s payout ratio is currently 355.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ventas

In related news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 10,322 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.66, for a total transaction of $801,606.52. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,114,034 shares in the company, valued at $86,515,880.44. This trade represents a 0.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Carey S. Roberts sold 35,532 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.00, for a total transaction of $3,020,220.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 72,755 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,184,175. This trade represents a 32.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 86,106 shares of company stock valued at $6,931,397 over the last three months. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. GoalVest Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Ventas during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ventas in the third quarter worth $25,000. Wiser Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ventas in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. bought a new position in Ventas in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Ventas during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Hedge funds and other 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.