Ventas (NYSE:VTR) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $87.87 and last traded at $86.7810, with a volume of 448779 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $86.44.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Ventas from $88.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Ventas from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Ventas from $83.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $90.00 target price on Ventas in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.87.

Ventas Stock Up 0.2%

The firm has a market capitalization of $41.14 billion, a PE ratio of 160.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.77. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $79.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $74.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last released its quarterly earnings results 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). Ventas had a net margin of 4.31% and a return on equity of 2.09%. The company had revenue of ($1,229.71) million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.53 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.81 earnings per share. Ventas’s revenue was up 21.7% on a year-over-year basis. Ventas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.780-3.880 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. This is a boost from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 355.56%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Robert F. Probst sold 29,930 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.25, for a total transaction of $2,312,092.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 138,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,694,026.50. This represents a 17.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 10,322 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.66, for a total transaction of $801,606.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,114,034 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $86,515,880.44. This represents a 0.92% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 86,106 shares of company stock valued at $6,931,397 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Ventas by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 75,948,003 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $5,876,856,000 after buying an additional 2,349,176 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Ventas by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 29,701,300 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,078,794,000 after acquiring an additional 387,495 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in Ventas by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,662,635 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,309,234,000 after acquiring an additional 735,620 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Ventas by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,988,943 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,001,447,000 after acquiring an additional 475,633 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in Ventas by 27.9% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 9,176,254 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $710,060,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000,341 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.