CBRE GROUP, INC. vs Ventas, Inc., two REIT stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Ventas is a healthcare landlord collecting rent from senior-housing and medical properties; CBRE brokers and manages commercial real estate for fees, and only one of them pays you to hold it. Ventas yields 2.16% and distributes its rents as a REIT; CBRE yields nothing, a C-corp compounding brokerage income. Their headline multiples barely compare: Ventas at 161.9 times earnings looks absurd until you remember REIT net income is gutted by non-cash property depreciation, which is why the market prices it on funds from operations and its 3.97% free-cash yield instead; CBRE's 31.4 is a clean corporate multiple. CBRE runs light debt at 0.89 turns against its fee model, while Ventas carries property leverage. The pair contrasts an asset-light service earner with an asset-heavy rent collector, the first priced on earnings, the second on cash distributions the P/E cannot see.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | CBRE | VTR |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $137.40 | $89.03 |
| Market cap | $40.8B | $43.3B |
| Sector | REIT | REIT |
| Stage | Growth | Growth |
| P/E | 31.4 | 161.9 |
| P/B | 4.61 | 3.29 |
| P/S | 0.97 | 7.07 |
| EV/EBITDA | 17.1 | 30.0 |
| Revenue growth | +15.1% | +20.6% |
| Operating margin | 4.8% | — |
| Net margin | 3.1% | 4.4% |
| Return on equity | 14.8% | 2.1% |
| Return on assets | 4.3% | 1.0% |
| Return on invested capital | 8.9% | — |
| FCF yield | 2.2% | 4.0% |
| Dividend yield | — | 2.2% |
| Debt / equity | 0.89 | 0.00 |
| Current ratio | 1.08 | — |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 3.12 | 1.67 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 3 / 9 | 8 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.