B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. Sells 998 Shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR)

B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) by 20.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,941 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 998 shares during the quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Ventas were worth $249,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in shares of Ventas by 2.1% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 8,120 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $521,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Profund Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ventas by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 6,270 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Ventas by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 5,639 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $362,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ventas by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 5,832 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $374,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the period. Finally, Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Ventas by 4.5% in the third quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. now owns 5,434 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $349,000 after purchasing an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of VTR opened at $58.76 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $24.65 billion, a PE ratio of -345.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.36. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $63.36 and a 200-day moving average of $59.33. Ventas, Inc. has a one year low of $41.45 and a one year high of $67.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

Ventas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. Ventas’s payout ratio is currently -1,058.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Ventas from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Ventas in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Ventas from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $61.00 to $71.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Ventas from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ventas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ventas has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $65.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ventas news, CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 6,004 shares of Ventas stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.11, for a total transaction of $396,924.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 986,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,231,860.87. The trade was a 0.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Ventas 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.