Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Sets New 52-Week High Following Strong Earnings

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $70.13 and last traded at $70.04, with a volume of 3336540 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $69.14.

The real estate investment trust reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.02. Ventas had a return on equity of 0.82% and a net margin of 1.65%. The company had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.32 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.78 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This is an increase from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.93%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 581.82%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on VTR. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Ventas from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Wedbush upped their price objective on shares of Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Ventas from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Ventas from $69.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Argus set a $75.00 price target on Ventas in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.90.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Gregory R. Liebbe sold 3,866 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.00, for a total transaction of $243,558.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $716,373. This represents a 25.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 214,679 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.22, for a total value of $14,645,401.38. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,138,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $77,644,115.46. This trade represents a 15.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 304,778 shares of company stock worth $20,934,891. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. DoubleLine ETF Adviser LP boosted its holdings in Ventas by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. DoubleLine ETF Adviser LP now owns 29,695 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,749,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 34,973 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,060,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 5,186 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $305,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Ventas by 1.6% in the first quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,674 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $734,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Ventas by 17.0% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,221 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.18% of the company’s stock.

Ventas Price Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average of $67.65 and a 200-day moving average of $63.93. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The firm has a market cap of $28.70 billion, a PE ratio of 345.07, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.02.

Ventas Company Profile

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.